(Reuters) – Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves’s trial in Spain on charges of sexual assault has been set for Feb. 5-7, the top court in Catalonia said on Wednesday.
Alves faces charges of sexual assault of a woman in a Barcelona nightclub last December. He was arrested on Jan. 20 and has been held in a prison outside Barcelona.
If found guilty the 40-year-old could face a jail sentence of four to 15 years. He has maintained that he had consensual sex with his accuser.
A Spanish prosecutor is seeking a nine-year prison term. He also asked for restraining orders for Alves following the jail term and for him to pay damages worth 150,000 euros ($164,430) to the woman.
Alves is one of the most successful players in football history having won more than 40 trophies in his career for his country and clubs like Barcelona, Sevilla, Juventus and Paris St Germain.
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(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Writing by Rohith Nair; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
