Brazilian footballer Dani Alves faces Spanish court in sexual assault probe

Brazilian international footballer Dani Alves appeared in court in Spain on Monday to give evidence to a judge investigating a sexual assault accusation against the player.

The 39-year-old has been in jail since January 20 after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a nightclub in Barcelona on December 30.

He has denied wrongdoing and said sex with the accuser was consensual.

The court denied Alves’s request to be freed on bail while the investigation continues, saying he is a flight risk. A trial date has not been set.

Alves was detained based on evidence gathered from the initial probe by authorities and from the player himself, the alleged victim and witnesses.

Under Spain’s sexual consent law passed last year, sexual assault takes in a wide array of crimes from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different possible punishments. A case of rape can incur a maximum sentence of 15 years.

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