Alves has already appealed for provisional release

The defence of former Barcelona player Dani Alves has appealed against the investigating judge's decision to remand him in custody, accused of raping a young woman in a private bathroom of the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona on the night of 30th December.
According to legal sources, in his brief, which is more than 20 pages long and which was presented to the court electronically on Monday, Cristobal Martell, the lawyer, wields arguments to dismantle the risk of flight on which the examining magistrate based her decision to send the footballer to prison on 20th January.
The appeal asks the Barcelona High Court to revoke the decision of the head of the 15th Preliminary Examining Court of Barcelona and to provisionally release the accused, if necessary with other less burdensome precautionary measures, while the case is being investigated.
The defence of Alves, who in his first court appearance was represented by lawyer Miraida Puente Wilson, has been taken on by the Martell Abogados law firm, one of the most prestigious and sought-after law firms in Barcelona, which has handled, among other cases, Leo Messi in his tax fraud case and represents the Pujol family before the Audiencia Nacional.