BARCELONA: Spanish public prosecutors requested on Friday that Brazil defender Dani Alves be held in custody after he was arrested in Barcelona over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman.

The 39-year-old player was “taken into custody” after being summoned to a Barcelona police station. He will now be questioned by a judge, said a spokesperson for Catalonia’s police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra.

Public prosecutors have asked that Alves be held in “provisional detention without bail,” a source at the public prosecutor’s office said. A judge still must agree to the request.

Catalan police said they received a complaint on Jan 2 from a woman who said Alves had touched her inappropriately.

The alleged sexual assault took place at a popular Barcelona nightclub overnight Dec 30-31, according to Spanish media reports.In a phenomenally successful career, Alves made 408 appearances for Barcelona, with 391 of those coming in his first spell from 2008-2016.

During that initial stint, he won six La Liga titles, three Champions League crowns and four Copa del Rey trophies.

Alves joined PSG in July 2017 on a free transfer after leaving Juventus and spent two years at the Qatari-owned French giants.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2023