Brazilian Santos faces rape attempt charge in Japan

Brazilian-born striker Sandro Cardoso Dos Santos was arrested for the attempt of raping a Japanese woman visiting his home in May, an official said on November 26.

Dos Santos, 24, who plays for Japanese soccer club JEF United Ichihara's, and was previously a member of Brazil's under-21 team, was in police custody on Tuesday and is being questioned after a woman in her 20s filed a complaint against him, Tokyo Metropolitan police spokesman Seiichi Watanabe said.

Dos Santos, who has not been charged with a crime, denied the accusation, JEF United Ichihara spokesman Eiichi Kondo said.

The club is cooperating with the police investigation, Kondo added.

Dos Santos joined JEF United in January 2003 from South Korean side Suwon Bluewings, where he was the K-League's leading scorer in 2001 with 17 goals in 33 matches. He is currently the J-League's fifth top scorer with 10 goals in 26 matches this season.