Editors’ note: This story contains alleged accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves was arrested in Barcelona on Friday after a woman said that he sexually assaulted her at a nightclub last month, according to ESPN.
Alves was taken into custody and transferred to a court in Barcelona after he returned to Spain from Mexico this week to give a statement to local police. According to ESPN, he will now appear before a judge, who will decide what next steps to take in the case.
In Spain, a charge of sexual assault can range from unsolicited and unwanted sexual groping to rape. Police told the Associated Press that they could not give any additional details on the case at this time.
Local police first began to investigate the allegation after a woman filed a police report against the 39-year-old Jan. 2. In the report, the woman said that Alves touched her inappropriately under her clothes without consent while out at a nightclub Dec. 30.
The woman said she told the club’s security what happened, and local police were informed. Alves confirmed he was at the nightclub that night but denied any wrongdoing during an interview with Spanish television channel Antena 3 earlier this month.
“I would like to deny everything, first,” Alves said, per ESPN. “I was there, in that location, with more people, having a good time. Everybody knows that I love to dance. Having a good time, but without invading the space of others.
“I’m very sorry, but I don’t know who that young lady is. I don’t know who she is. I’ve never seen her in my life.”
Alves is best known for his time as a defender with Barcelona from 2008 to ’16, during which the La Liga club won the Champions League three times. He also played for Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain before returning to Barcelona for a brief stint last season.
Alves currently plays for Mexican club Pumas.
