A Brazilian magazine has reportedly been identified as having paid Dani Alves’ €1m (£850,000) bail after the former Barcelona star was released from prison.

Alves was released from prison on Monday after depositing the funds having spent 13 months in jail.

The 40-year-old had been held at Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona since January 2023 after being accused of raping a young woman in a nightclub bathroom in the Spanish city in the early hours of December 31, 2022.

He was found guilty of rape last month and was handed a four-and-a-half year prison sentence, which he subsequently appealed. Alves pleaded to be released on bail, and his bail bond was set at €1m.

It appeared that he would struggle to raise this figure due to the Brazilian reportedly having two empty bank accounts and another in the red, but he managed to pay the fee on Monday and was released from prison.

The source of the payment has been the subject of speculation, with Memphis Depay‘s agent denying reports the Atletico Madrid forward had paid Alves’ bail.

Brazilian team-mate Neymar’s dad had been expected to help Alves pay the money to secure his freedom, but he issued a statement denying he would hand over any cash after coming under political pressure in his homeland.

Spanish journalist Marisa Martín Blazquez, speaking on Fiesta, reported that a Brazilian magazine paid Alves bail in exchange for an interview.

Blazquez said the Alves would have been requested to ask his model wife Joana Sanz to feature as part of the interview.

‘The magazine, known in Brazil, does great reports on important people in Brazil, but also internationally,’ Blazquez said.

‘There are a series of requirements that must be met.

‘An interview would be being conducted as a video report on Alves’ story and, in addition, Alves would have asked Joana Sanz to participate in this report.

‘[The payment] would have been an advance as payment for that documentary-type interview that is being done.’

Sanz revealed last year she had demanded a divorce after Alves admitted for the first time to having sex with the woman he was found guilty of raping, but claimed as he still does that the relations were consensual.

The 31-year-old brunette later said the divorce had been put on hold and she gave evidence on Alves’ behalf at his trial from February 5 to 7.

Alves is on provisional release and will usually attend court hearings on Friday.

He is understood to have complied with the other orders of the three judges who said he could leave jail despite his recent rape conviction by handing in his Spanish and Brazilian passports.

Keen to make the most of his life outside prison walls, he was reported to have celebrated one of his first nights of freedom with a lavish party.

Alves was convicted of raping a 23-year-old woman in the toilet of an upscale Barcelona nightclub, Sutton, over a year and a half ago.

The jail sentence he received, considered lenient by some critics, was far less than the nine years public prosecutors demanded and the 12 years Alves’ female accuser wanted if he was convicted.

Previous attempts from the footballer to be allowed bail had been rejected by the courts largely because he was viewed as a potential fight risk, and the player’s home nation, Brazil, does not extradite citizens sentenced abroad.

It is trouble unending for Dani Alves who has just been convicted in a sexual assault case in Spain.

Just hours after his conditional release after paying a a million euro to get bail, another case has emerged for him in his native Brazil. 

In the coming weeks he will have to face the Brazilian justice system for a case of plagiarism. According to media reports from the South American country, composers Giuliano Matheus and Thiago Matheus have denounced the former soccer player for a song he published a few years ago. It is ‘Aviao’, a song he wrote as part of a UN project to combat disinformation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

Other musical artists such as Carlinhos Brown, Fabio Jr., Nando Reis, Sandra de Sa and Roberta Miranda participated in this work, led by Alves. The two plaintiffs claim that the former soccer player “fraudulently excluded the names of the real creators”.

An accusation that is even more serious, since they point out that “the UN used a work of false authorship” in a campaign in which, precisely, it was fighting to put an end to false news about the pandemic.

“The work was designed solely and exclusively by Daniel Alves.

Lionel Messi’s three days of adulation in Hong Kong ended in heartbreak for his fans as the Argentine did not take to the field in Inter Miami’s 4-1 win against a local League XI in a friendly played in front of a sellout crowd on Sunday.

Spectators chanted “refund” and the Hong Kong government said match organisers Tatler Asia may face a reduction in funding after Messi stayed on the bench during the match.

The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) had granted 15 million Hong Kong dollars ($1.92 million) for the event along with a one million Hong Kong dollar grant for the venue, the government said in a statement.

“Regarding Messi not playing the match today, the Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organisers’ arrangement. The organiser owes all football fans an explanation,” they said.

“The MSEC will take follow-up actions with the organiser according to the terms and conditions, which includes reducing the amount of funding as a result of Messi not playing the match.”

The organisers said they expected Messi and his former Barcelona team mate, Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, to play and were extremely disappointed that they did feature in the match.

“Despite some news reports, Tatler did not have any information about the non-participation of Messi or Suarez prior to kick off,” they said in a statement.

“Messi and Suarez were deemed unfit to play by their team’s medical department, to everyone’s, including ours, disappointment.”

Miami head coach Gerardo Martino said playing Messi and Suarez could have posed a risk of aggravating their injuries.

“Well, Leo has swelling in the adductor (muscle)…. when we sat down with the medical team they voiced their view that it was very risky for this footballer to play today,” he told reporters.

“In Luis’ case, he has a problem with his knee. He woke up swollen after the second match in (Saudi) Arabia. So he wasn’t fit for today’s match.

“We understand the disappointment from the crowd who came to the stadium today that Leo and Luis were absent,” he added.

ADORING FANS

Some 40,000 fans had flocked to Hong Kong Stadium for Saturday’s training session, chanting “Messi! Messi! Messi!” and holding aloft copies of his number 10 jersey as he and club co-owner David Beckham interacted with local children.

“I started watching football because of Messi. He’s been my idol since day one,” said 16-year-old Aasir Mubarak. “It’s my first day looking at Messi in person, so it’s going to be a very special day and I’ll remember this for life.”

The World Cup winner had been mobbed by adoring fans decked out in Argentina’s blue and white or Miami’s pink since landing from Saudi Arabia on Friday, with hundreds waiting outside the team hotel to try and get a glimpse of the 36-year-old.

“I feel especially excited today because I’ve been a big fan of Messi since 2014 when I started watching football, but I never had the chance to get close to him,” said Gary Sheng, a 19-year-old student.

“Today, words can’t describe my feelings. When the football king is just a few metres away from you, this excitement is beyond words. I just feel incredibly happy.”

Hong Kongers clamoured for match tickets, costing between 880 and 4,880 Hong Kong dollars, when they went on sale in December, snapping them up within an hour amid excitement over Messi playing his first match in the territory since 2014.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner can expect similar scenes in Tokyo when Miami continue their pre-season tour with a friendly against J-League champions Vissel Kobe on Wednesday.

They kick off their Major League Soccer campaign versus Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.

-Reuters