Dani Alves arrested in Spain over ‘sexual assault’

Dani Alves, Brazilian footballer, has been arrested by Spanish police over a sexual assault allegation.

The 39-year-old was detained by Barcelona police after an investigation.

According to Reuters, a spokesperson of the local police said Alves will appear before a judge later on Friday.

It was unclear whether the footballer would remain in police custody after the hearing.

Alves was accused of touching a woman without her consent at a Barcelona nightclub on December 30.

The victim had reported the incident to the nightclub’s security staff, who then escalated it to the police.

Alves had denied the allegation.

The defender played for FC Barcelona from 2008-2016 followed by a brief spell at the club again in the 2021-22 season. He currently plays for Mexico’s Pumas UNAM.

He was at the Qatar 2022 World Cup with the Brazilian national team, where the team was ousted in the quarter-final by Croatia.

Alves has played for the Brazil national team since 2006, making 126 appearances and scoring eight goals.

The Brazilian is not the first footballer in recent years to be accused of sexual assault.

In the past two years, Benjamin Mendy and Mason Greenwood have been charged with several counts of similar charges.

Earlier this month, Mendy was cleared of six-count of sexual assaults with two cases pending.