Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves is under investigation over an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in a nightclub in Spain last month, Catalonia’s Supreme Court said on Tuesday.
Alves denies any wrongdoing. The court in Barcelona said in a statement it had 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.”
The statement did not specifically name Alves but a court spokeswoman confirmed that he was the subject of the complaint.
Spanish media had reported that a woman had accused Alves of touching her beneath her underwear without her consent when she was with friends at a nightclub in late December 2022.
A spokesperson for Alves, asked by Reuters for comment, said the player “vehemently denies” all allegations. Alves is currently in Mexico playing for Pumas UNAM.
“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.”