Dani Alves arrested by Barcelona police over sexual assault allegation

Brazil international Dani Alves was arrested by police in Barcelona on Friday morning for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a nightclub last month.

A spokesperson on behalf of Alves has already clarified that he "vehemently denies" the allegation.

Alves was arrested at the Mossos d'Esquadra de Les Corts police station in Barcelona on Friday at 10am local time.

As per Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, the footballer was taken to the Ciutat de la Justicia in Barcelona, where he will go to court and the judge will decide on his provisional situation while the case is being investigated.

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 spokesman for the regional Mossos D'Esquadra confirmed: "A man accused of an indecent assault at a nightclub in Barcelona late last year has been arrested. He has now been taken to court after making a statement to police. It will be up to the court now to decide what measures to take."

Alves is currently said to be in a cell underneath the court complex in Barcelona ahead of being questioned by a judge. Well-placed sources have said it is unlikely he will be remanded in custody, although it is not yet clear what demand a state prosecutor who will be present in the behind-closed-doors court hearing will make.

A woman claimed to Spanish media, two days after the alleged incident, 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 earlier this month, Alves told Spanish TV channel Antena 3 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."

The veteran full-back, aged 39, was a surprise inclusion in the Brazil squad for this winter's World Cup. Alves had his brief second stint at Barcelona ended in the summer by the Catalan club before he joined Mexican club UNAM on a contract for the remainder of the calendar year.

The right-back has been capped 126 times for the Brazil national team and has won four trophies with the nation - two Copa America crowns and two Confederation Cup titles. However, he has never tasted glory in the World Cup, after the nation were eliminated by Croatia at the quarter-final stage.

Barca did not extend the short-term contract of Alves after he joined the club in November 2021 on a short-term deal for the remainder of the campaign. He was the first signing of Xavi Hernandez at the Camp Nou last season but did not have his short-term deal at the Camp Nou renewed, despite making 17 domestic appearances in the run-in of the campaign