CAS Ruling on Dani Alves
In a significant ruling, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has mandated that Dani Alves, the former Brazilian footballer renowned for his tenure at Barcelona, must compensate Liga MX’s Pumas UNAM with a sum of $2.2 million following the club’s unilateral termination of his contract in 2023. This decision overrules a previous verdict from FIFA’s Football Tribunal in May, which had only partially favored Pumas, awarding them a smaller amount of $159,677, along with 5% interest for breach of contract by Alves.
Background of the Dispute
Initially, Pumas claimed up to $5 million in damages, pointing to a stipulation in Alves’ contract that outlined penalties in cases of premature contract termination without just cause. However, the CAS highlighted that the calculated penalties did not align with the principles of proportionality regarding the potential damages caused by Alves’ actions. As a result, the arbitration panel found a compensation amounting to $2.2 million to be appropriate.
Dani Alves’ Legal Troubles
Dani Alves, who is currently 42, faced serious legal troubles earlier, having been imprisoned for 14 months after allegations of sexual assault were leveled against him following an incident in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022. He maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings. In February 2024, Alves was convicted and sentenced to four years and six months in prison, but he successfully appealed in March 2025, leading to the nullification of his conviction.
Pumas’ Acknowledgment of the Ruling
On September 1, 2025, Pumas publicly acknowledged their victory in the arbitration dispute, announcing they had been notified of the CAS decision without disclosing specific details of the award amount.
“The Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., announces that on September 1, 2025, it received notification of the arbitration award issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the contractual dispute between the club and the player Daniel Alves Da Silva,”
the statement from Pumas read.
Conclusion
This latest development marks another chapter in Alves’ tumultuous legal saga and his association with the Mexican club, which has faced several financial and reputational challenges since terminating his contract due to the mounting legal issues surrounding him.
