Barcelona legend Dani Alves has contract terminated by Pumas over sexual assault allegations

Mexico's Club Universidad Nacional, commonly known as Pumas, have announced that they have terminated Dani Alves' contract after he was arrested in Spain on Friday over sexual assault allegations.

The development came after a woman claimed that the 39-year-old sexually assaulted her in a nightclub in Barcelona on December 30. The Brazilian, who has denied all accusations, has been taken into custody and is being held without bail.

Club chairman Leopoldo Silva made the announcement at a press briefing, explaining that the club made the decision to terminate the player's employment contract with just cause. He stressed that the club "reiterates its commitment not to tolerate acts" by any member of the institution.

Silva stated:

"The club reiterates its commitment not to tolerate acts by any member of our institution, whoever they may be, that go against the university spirit and its values."

Dani Alves has made 13 appearances since joining the Mexican side in July last year. His most recent appearance for the team came as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 win against FC Juarez on January 8.

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"Yes I was there in the nightclub ... never invading any personal space" - Dani Alves on sexual assault claims

Dani Alves has denied all allegations of sexual assault.

Meanwhile, Dani Alves has defended himself after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a Sutton nightclub in the Catalonian capital. While the Brazilian has admitted that he was present at the nightclub, he insisted that he did not invade anyone’s personal space.

The former Barcelona player believes that the allegations have only been made to malign his image. He said (via ABC Espana):

“Yes, I was there in that nightclub. I was with a lot of people hanging out and dancing. Everyone that knows me knows that I love to dance but never invading any personal space. I don't know who that woman is. They're doing this to hurt me and to hurt my people.”

According to ABC Espana, the alleged incident took place in the early hours of December 30.

They reported (via The Sun):

“The Catalan police went to the venue and when the victim spoke to them about the incident, the supposed aggressor had already left the nightclub. Contacted by this paper, the footballer’s entourage have denied the allegations. They insist the information is false, although Alves was inside the venue, albeit for a short space of time.”

The police, however, have stated that the incident occurred at around 5 am on December 31.