Dani Alves arrested in Spain for alleged sexual assault
By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves was arrested Friday after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Spain.
The alleged act took place on Dec. 31 at a night club in Barcelona, police told The Associated Press.
Alves was taken into custody after he answered a police summons. He will appear before a judge, who will decide on the charges. State prosecutors have asked for him to be jailed without bail, the prosecutors’ office said.
A charge of sexual assault in Spain can mean anything from unsolicited and unwanted sexual groping to rape. Police said they could not give any details on the case.
The player denied the allegations last week in a video he sent to Spanish television channel Antena 3. While acknowledging he had been at the club, he said he did not know the woman and that “I have never invaded the personal space of anyone.”
The 39-year-old Alves is one of soccer’s most successful players, winning major titles with several elite clubs, including Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, over his long career. He currently plays for Mexican club Pumas.
The defender was a key part of Barcelona’s golden years playing between 2008-16 on the team’s right flank behind Lionel Messi. He won the Champions League three times with the Catalan club, which he briefly rejoined last season.
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