Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves is set to go on trial for rape charge after a judge approved the case on Tuesday.
The 40 year old was accused of rape in January for an incident that allegedly took place on December 30 2022 in Barcelona, Spain.
He has been in police custody since January this year as the Barcelona court refused to grant him bail.
According to sport.es, the presiding judge has given Alves’ defence attorneys five days to put together their arguments for the trial.
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They will have to convince the judge why Alves should convicted or acquitted and to suggest the appropriate penalty. After all these a day for the trial of Alves will be set.
If charged, Alves could be imprisoned for up to 12 years depending on the severity of the court proceedings.
He could also be fined an additional €150000 by the jury depending on the court case ruling.
Alves has maintained his innocence throughout the period and since the lady in question accused him.
He has provided four different versions of events which has led to compounding the trial issue.
Alves was the most decorated footballer of all time with 43 titles until Lionel Messi won the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami to break the record.
He has won FIFA Confederations Cups and two Copa America titles with the Brazilian national team.
He played for various clubs including Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Sevilla, Sao Paulo and Bahia.
The 2019 Copa America Golden Ball winner won the UEFA Champions League three times at Barcelona.
