After being accused of sexually abusing a woman at a city nightclub, Brazil international Dani Alves was arrested by police in Barcelona and taken to court for questioning.
The football player claimed he was in the renowned city nightclub Sutton when the alleged sexual assault happened late last month.
In a Spanish television appearance, he asserted his innocence after a court announced it had begun an official inquiry, stating, ‘I don’t know who this lady is. I don’t know her name, I don’t know her, I’ve never seen her in my life.”
Today, the former Barcelona defender, who is currently with Mexican club UNAM Pumas, was detained at an unidentified location and escorted to the Les Corts police station to provide a statement.
Local overnight reports said that the 39-year-old, who last month became the oldest Brazilian to participate in the FIFA World Cup, had scheduled his police interview via attorneys.
According to the sources, he would be detained and fingerprinted as part of standard protocol before being questioned and sent to the court investigating the alleged sexual assault.
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.’
A court official confirmed 10 days ago: ‘Barcelona Court of Instruction Number 15 has opened proceedings over an alleged crime of sexual assault following a complaint filed by a woman against a footballer.
‘The incident allegedly occurred at a nightclub in Barcelona in December.’
A representative for the investigating magistrate stated on Thursday that the unnamed football player and the woman had not yet been questioned in court.
It was revealed earlier this week that Alves had gone to Spain from Mexico with the approval of his club following the death of Joana Sanz’s mother on Tenerife.
UNAM Pumas announced in a statement, ‘We regret the death of the mother of Joana Sanz, wife of our player Dani Alves.
‘We send our most sincere condolences.’
A reputable Spanish news website stated at the beginning of the month that Alves spent 47 seconds alone in a restroom at the Sutton nightclub with the woman who accused him of sexual assault after he departed.
It provided a detailed explanation of the CCTV video in the possession of detectives that led to the woman raising the alarm, but no images were published.
The 47-second restroom accusation was made by eltaquigrafo.com two days after ABC broadcast the initial reports of an alleged sex sex assault allegedly involving Alves.
ABC, the first publication to identify Alves, said that he reportedly slipped his hands under the panties of a woman who had danced with the footballer and her female companions in the VIP section of the nightclub before being followed into the restroom.
»Brazil international Dani Alves arrested in Barcelona for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman«