Soccer player Dani Alves appeared in a Barcelona court on Tuesday accused of having sexually assaulted a young woman.

The Brazilian football star was arrested on January 20, 2023, and has been held in detention for over a year amid fears that he was a flight risk.

Alves had offered to hand over his passport and wear a tracker, but the court considered the risk too great as Brazil does not extradite its citizens charged in foreign countries.

The alleged assault took place at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022. State prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison sentence.

Rape convictions carry a maximum prison sentence of 15 years in Spain.

Alves denies charges of rape

Alves has denied any wrongdoing, but he has changed his testimony several times

He first said he had never seen the woman and denied any sexual contact with her, later admitting that they had in fact had a sexual encounter but claimed that it had been consensual.

He said the initial lie had been to save his marriage.

His defense team had tried to discredit the alleged victim by presenting security camera footage from the club.

But the court ruled that any alleged flirting could not "in any way justify an eventual sexual assault."

Alves' accuser will give her testimony from behind closed doors and the court has ordered that no images may be taken of her after a video circulated on social media last month claiming to have uncovered her identity.

Spain has made efforts to take accusations of assault seriously and to prosecute them fully after several high profile cases sparked outrage.

Short trial expected

The 40-year-old arrived at the court on Monday, having been driven from the Brians 2 Prison where he had been held since his arrest.

Alves, who had previously played for Barcelona, was ordered to set aside €150,000 ($162,000) that he would have to pay the alleged victim if found guilty.

The trial is expected to last until Wednesday.

He has also played for major teams such as Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain as well as helping Brazil win two Copa America trophies and an Olympic gold medal.

At the time of his arrest, Alves was playing for the Mexican team Pumas, but his contract was terminated due to his legal troubles.

ab/kb (AP, Reuters, AFP)