Pumas end contract with Dani Alves after arrest for sexual assault allegations

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

Pumas UNAM announced they have parted ways with Dani Alves, rescinding his contract after he was detained in Barcelona regarding an accusation of sexual assault over an incident that occurred on Dec. 30, 2022. Pumas President Leopaldo Silva announced the decision after the news broke that Alves was to remain detained after his first declarations of the trial for the accusations against him.

Dani Alves started the season with Pumas, despite the accusation of an incident in a Barcelona nightclub just under a month ago. A young woman accused Alves of sexual assault, but Alves still returned to Mexico and played with Pumas against FC Juarez. But after the death of his mother-in-law, Alves missed the Santos Laguna match on Jan. 14, making the Juarez match his final one with Pumas. The Brazilian had to be present in Barcelona to declare for the Dec. 30 incident, and after his declaration, the Spanish authorities decided to detain Alves and proceed to charge him with sexual assault. After Pumas found out about the decision by the authorities, Alves’ contract was ended. There is no word yet on when the trial will start, but the authorities deemed Alves a possible flight risk, so he’ll be detained until the start of the trial.