Former FC Barcelona and Brazil national team footballer Dani Alves, whose conviction for rape was overturned in March, has invested in a third-division Portuguese club, the club announced on Thursday evening.
“In a moment that will remain engraved in the history of the club, we officially announce the arrival of Dani Alves as co-owner of the sports company (SAD) of Sporting Clube São João de Ver,” the club wrote in a statement published on its Facebook page. The club was founded in 1929 in the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira (northern Portugal).
According to the sports portal MaisFutebol, the 42-year-old Brazilian has purchased 50 percent of the capital of this legal structure, which is used by most professional Portuguese clubs, and is expected to buy the remaining 50 percent at the end of this season. MaisFutebol also reports that Dani Alves is considering hanging up his boots and playing for São João de Ver over the next six months.
The former Barcelona right-back has not played since January 2023, when he left Mexican club Pumas due to the case that led to a rape conviction, which was later overturned.
Dani Alves was accused of raping a young woman during the night of December 30–31, 2022, in the VIP area of a nightclub in Barcelona—an accusation he has always denied, claiming it was a consensual sexual relationship, after having changed his version several times.
