6:41 a.m. ET
Brazil international Dani Alves is being held on charges of sexual abuse after he made a statement to police on Friday, a police source confirmed to ESPN.
Alves, 39, has been transferred to a court in Barcelona where he will be questioned by a judge who will decide on the next steps in the case. A police source could not confirm at this time whether this would take place on Friday or over the weekend.
An investigation was launched earlier this month into allegations that Alves sexually assaulted a woman at a Barcelona nightclub in December. Alves denies any wrongdoing.
The UNAM Pumas player returned to Spain from Mexico this week to face the charges. He presented himself at a local police station in Barcelona on Friday and was then taken by officers to the Ciutat de la Justicia for an examination by the judge.
A woman first filed a police report against Alves on January 2, alleging that he inappropriately touched her under her clothes without consent during a December 30 evening at Sutton, a Barcelona nightclub.
After the incident, the woman said she told security what happened and the local police were informed and took testimony. The former Barca, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain defender denied any wrongdoing in an interview with Spanish TV channel Antena 3 this month.
“I want to deny everything first,” he said. “I was there, in that place, with more people and had a good time. Everyone knows that I like to dance. I have a good time but without invading other people’s space
“I’m very sorry but I don’t know who this young lady is, I don’t know who she is, I’ve never seen her in my life.”