Baku, February 27, AZERTAC
La Liga giants Barcelona have come to the decision to revoke the official legend status of former defender Dani Alves, according to One Football.
Alves, of course, was last week found guilty of sexual assault.
The Brazilian had been in custody since January of 2023, in relation to an incident in the bathroom of a nightclub in Barcelona the prior December.
Across this time, the Barcelona brass tread carefully, maintaining the stance that a decision on Alves’ status within the club would not be made until a verdict in his trial was reached.
And, last Thursday, precisely that was forthcoming.
Despite having maintained his innocence throughout trial proceedings, Alves was found guilty of sexual assault, giving rise to a sentence of four-and-a-half years in prison.
The 40-year-old’s team of lawyers have since made clear their intention to appeal the verdict, in an effort to have the ruling overturned.
But, in the eyes of Barcelona, the damage has been done.
As per the aforementioned Sport:
‘Barça has removed Dani Alves from being a legendary footballer of the club, a condition held by up to 102 footballers who have defended the Blaugrana jacket since its foundation on November 29, 1899.’