A WOMAN who named Dani Alves as her alleged attacker after she was sexually assaulted in a Barcelona nightclub has now made a formal police complaint.
Cops confirmed that they were investigating the incident that took place at the swanky Sutton club, a bar frequented by the rich and famous in the Spanish city.
Spanish paper ABC reported at the weekend that the unnamed woman had identified Brazilian international Alves to police as the man who allegedly molested her.
Barcelona-based news site El Taquigrafo also claims that it has seen CCTV footage showing Alves entering a bathroom in the nightclub alone with the woman in the early hours of December 30 before exiting 47 seconds later.
In a detailed account of the footage it claimed to have viewed, it said the woman burst into tears when Alves left the venue with a male friend 10 minutes later.
Two female friends who were with the victim then alerted security staff who called the police.
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Alves, 39, has yet to make any official comment with representatives telling Spanish press he was in the nightclub briefly but insisting nothing happened.
A spokesman for the Mossos d’Esqudra police force said: “The victim of an alleged indecent assault at a nightspot in Barcelona on the night of December 30 to 31 has presented a formal complaint.
“She filed that complaint at a police station on Monday.
“A report will now be submitted to an investigating court which will determine what steps should subsequently be taken.”
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It means the footballer may now be summoned to court to give his version of events.
NIGHTCLUB ATTACK
On Saturday police confirmed that they were investigating an alleged assault at the nightclub before the attacker was named by ABC as Dani Alves.
The site claimed that the woman had pointed the finger at Alves after raising the alarm.
She claims that the attacker put his hand inside her underwear at the iconic nightclub.
She is said to have told her friends who then alerted security staff, sparking the activation of a city hall protocol in place for sex assaults and harassment inside privately-owned nightspots which included taking her to a “safe space” and calling in the police immediately.
ABC said: “The Catalan police went to the venue and when the victim spoke to them about the incident, the supposed aggressor had already left the nightclub.”
In the days following the attack, the woman at the centre of the probe failed to attend a police station and present a formal complaint.
The former Barcelona right-back, who in Qatar last month became the oldest player to represent Brazil at a World Cup, denied any wrongdoing but was not questioned by detectives.
ABC added: “Contacted by this paper, the footballer’s entourage have denied the allegations.
“They insist the information is false, although Alves was inside the venue, albeit for a short space of time.”
However, the victim made the official complaint on January 2 and Alves is now the subject of a full investigation by the Barcelona police.
The next step is for the Mossos to process the complaint in the courts to open a judicial procedure that could end in a summons.
Alves, who left Barcelona during the summer and signed for Mexican side UNAM Pumas, has yet to make any official comment.
Very soon after the allegation was made, thE footballer swiftly returned to Mexico to join back up with his team.
That means that the court may decide to summon him remotely rather than force him to return to Barcelona.
The footballer, who is married to Tenerife-born model Joana Sanz, wished his fans Happy New Year in a message posted on Instagram early this morning/Sunday morning.
He wrote: “Happy 2023 to all. May the love between us reverberate and evil and grudges diminish from the hearts.”
Spanish model Joana has since taken down her Instagram account although it is not clear if it was removed in light of the allegations.
As well as two spells at Barcelona, Alves has played for Seville, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.
He is widely considered as one of the greatest full-backs of all time.
He has been a full international for Brazil since 2006 and is the nation’s second most-capped player of all time.
Alves became the oldest Brazilian to play in a FIFA World Cup by playing in his nation’s defeat against Cameroon in the final round of Group G games.
He said before the game: “It’s normal people might question me because of my age or because I might not be at my best at this minute.
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“It is something that bothers me but doesn’t affect me. I am reaping what I have planted over the years.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
