Ex-Barcelona defender Dani Alves arrested over suspected sexual assault

Dani Alves has been slapped with a 4 and a half year jail term for sexual assault | Credit: IMAGO

Ex-Barcelona defender Dani Alves arrested over suspected sexual assault

Ayoola Kelechi 18:34 - 20.01.2023

Dani Alves has been roped into scandal and had been arrested after allegations of sexual assault in Spain

Former Barcelona defender Dani Alves has been arrested in Barcelona on suspicion of sexual assault regarding an incident that happened on the 30th of December, 2022.

Alves arrested over suspicion of sexual assault

The 39-year-old defender, currently on the books of UNAM, was arrested in Catalunya and was questioned at the Mossos d'Esquadra de Les Corts police station in Barcelona on Friday morning.

Neither the police nor Alves have commented on the severity of the offence which could range from unsolicited and unwanted sexual groping to rape.

Dani Alves (L) with Xavi Hernandez (R) together in 2011

Alves is set to appear before a judge at the Ciutat de la Justicia in Barcelona, who will decide how to proceed with the allegations brought against him.

‘I don’t know who that lady is’ - Dani Alves denies charges

The former Brazil international has denied all charges levelled against him, and in a statement released to the press discussing the incident which occurred at a Nightclub in Barcelona.

Alves denied knowing the accuser and gave his own side of the story, saying, “Yes, I was in that place, with more people, enjoying myself. And people who know me know that I love to dance. I was dancing and enjoying myself without invading the space of others.

Dani Alves is Brazil's second most capped player of all time

“I don’t know who that lady is. You arrive at a bathroom and you don’t have to ask who’s there. I have never invaded anyone’s space. How am I going to do it with a woman or a girl? No, for God’s sake.”

Dani Alves enjoyed a glittering career with Barcelona where he won several league, domestic, and continental titles in two spells for the club from 2008 to 2016 and from 2021 to 2022. 

He also represented the Brazilian national team on 126 occasions, the second highest in the nation’s history, winning the Olympics in 2016, and Copa America in 2007 and 2019.

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