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.

The charges were raised after a woman filed a police report, alleging that the defender touched her inappropriately under her clothes without consent during a night out on 30 December 2022

The complaint said she told security what had happened and local police were informed and took witness statements.

The court in Barcelona has now opened proceedings for an alleged crime of sexual assault.

However, Alves has since denied the allegations while speaking on the Spanish TV show, Y Ahora Sonsoles, saying: “I would like to deny everything, first. I was there, in that location, with more people, having a good time. Everybody knows that I love to dance. Having a good time, but without invading the space of others

“I’m very sorry, but I don’t know who that young lady is, I don’t know who she is, I’ve never seen her in my life”