A Spanish court has rejected a second request for bail by Brazilian footballer Dani Alves, who is currently in prison as an investigation continues into an alleged sexual assault.
Alves, who is 40 years old, has been held since January following an accusation of assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December.
He denies the allegations. In an attempt to secure his release, his lawyer offered to surrender both his Brazilian and Spanish passports, but the court rejected the request citing a “high risk“ that he may try to flee, given his wealth and ability to leave Spain at any time.
This is the second time Alves’ request for bail has been denied, following an earlier request in February. Alves was terminated from his contract with Mexican club Pumas UNAM when he was remanded in custody.
Prior to his arrest, Alves played for various clubs, including Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, and Juventus, and made 126 appearances for the Brazilian national team.