Dani Alves rape case: Pumas demand millions for breach of contract

As the saying goes, bad things come in threes. Footballer Dani Alves will be hoping that the troubles end there for him, now that he has been arrested for sexual assault, his wife is allegedly planning on divorcing him, and football club Pumas UNAM is reportedly planning on suing him for millions of dollars for violating the terms of his contract.

It may be remembered that on January 20, Alves was arrested and remanded in police custody in Barcelona due to a sexual assault case that has been filed against him from an incident that took place on December 30, 2022.

Pumas immediately terminated the player's contract and the Liga MX side will not stop there. According to Marca, the club fully believes that Alves owes them a multi-million dollar settlement for "violating the terms of conduct" that is one of the clauses in his contract.

The outlet further explains that on the day of Alves' arrest, Pumas had already sent out an email informing him of their request for compensation amounting to US$5 million (£4.15m).

The clause reportedly imposes a penalty on a player who gets embroiled in "any scandal that is made public" or in "any act that is considered a crime according to the legislation of the country in which it took place."

Needless to say, being accused of rape is a public scandal, even though Alves is still awaiting trial and is innocent until proven guilty. However, his arrest and detention without bail has convinced the club that the gravity of the scandal is enough to invoke the said clause.

"For very serious breaches by the player, under the terms provided in the fourteenth and fifteenth clauses of the contract, the player is irremediably obliged to reimburse the club for the payment of the compensation provided in the fifteenth clause of the contract, in the amount of five million dollars net, that is, free of any tax or withholding," the club states.

Pumas UNAM is also planning on taking the matter to FIFA and any other relevant governing body should Alves decide to raise a dispute.

At the moment, the FC Barcelona legend and his lawyers are awaiting the results of an appeal they put forward to ask for his release from prison during the pre-trial period.