Barcelona court investigating Dani Alves over sexual assault allegation

Brazil star Dani Alves is being investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub last month.

A spokesperson on behalf of Alves said that he "vehemently denies" the allegation.

The 39-year-old full back, who currently plays for Mexican side Pumas, had two spells as a Barca player, between 2008 and '16 and a brief return in 2021.

Catalonia's Supreme Court confirmed that it has opened proceedings "for an alleged crime of sexual assault as a result of the complaint filed by a woman for events that allegedly occurred in a nightclub in Barcelona last month."

A woman claimed to Spanish media that the footballer had reached underneath her underwear without consent while in the Sutton nightclub in the city at the end of December.

In an interview last week Alves told Antena 3, a Spanish television channel, that he was at the nightclub with friends but denied the assault claims.

"I was dancing and having a good time without invading anyone's space," he said. "I don't know who this lady is. How could I do that to a woman? No."

Alves last month became the oldest player to represent Brazil at a World Cup. He has won 40 major trophies and won more than 120 international caps during a career also including spells at Sevilla, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.