Dani Alves invests in Portuguese third division club

Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves, whose rape conviction was quashed last year, has taken a stake in Portuguese third tier club Sporting Clube Sao Joao de Ver, the club revealed.

The club shared on their Facebook page on Thursday evening, "We are delighted to confirm that Dani Alves is now co owner of the SAD, our public limited sports company. This marks a significant milestone in the history of Sporting Clube Sao Joao de Ver."

Set up in 1929, Sao Joao de Ver operates from the northern Portuguese city of Santa Maria da Feira.

Sports news site MaisFutebol reports that the 42 year old Brazilian has bought 50 per cent of the SADs capital and intends to purchase the rest by the close of the season.

That outlet also suggests Alves could make a comeback on the pitch for Sao Joao de Ver during the coming six months.

The winner of three Champions League titles has been inactive since January 2023, following his departure from Mexican side Pumas amid the legal proceedings that initially led to a rape conviction, which was subsequently reversed.

In February 2024, Alves was given a four and a half year jail term after conviction for assaulting a woman in the VIP area of a Barcelona nightclub on 31 December 2022.

Yet a Barcelona appeals court nullified the initial verdict in March of the prior year, sparking anger among feminist organisations and certain figures in Spains left wing administration.

The court pointed to flaws, inconsistencies and inadequate proof of guilt for Alves, who has repeatedly asserted that the encounter was mutual.

From his detention in January 2023 until March 2024, Alves remained in custody, at which point he was let out on one million euros bail, equivalent to about 1.1 million dollars, as his appeal progressed.