Former Barcelona star Dani Alves will face trial in Spain on charges of sexual assault, as confirmed on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old is alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December of last year. Following his arrest in January, he was held in prison.
A Barcelona court has now determined that there are adequate grounds to proceed with a trial.
Should he be found guilty of the charges, the former full-back, who maintains that the encounter was consensual, could face a prison sentence ranging from four to 15 years.
A document released by the court and signed by three judges read: “The statements of the alleged victim and the witnesses statements and experts’ reports that appear in the case must be considered sufficient for this purpose, without prejudice to the final outcome following the plenary phase.”
No date has been set for the former Barcelona, Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain defender’s trial.