Spanish keeps Dani Alves locked up as sexual assault case heads for courts

November 15 – Former Brazil and Barcelona defender Dani Alves is to stand trial in Spain for alleged sexual assault.

Alves (pictured), 40, has been in prison without bail since January after being arrested over an allegation he assaulted a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December last year.

He denied the claims and says he had consensual sex with his accuser. But the Barcelona-based court said “there was enough evidence to open the trial”. A date for the hearings has not yet been set.

Alves won 42 titles in his career including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa Americas with Brazil. He played at his third World Cup last year in Qatar.

All of his bail requests have been denied because the Spanish authorities considered him a flight risk. The player had even offered to turn in his passports and wear a tracking device.

His most recent club, Mexican side Pumas UNAM, terminated the Brazilian’s contract with immediate effect in January.

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