Brazilian-born striker Sandro Cardoso Dos Santos is in police custody on suspicion of attempting to rape a Japanese woman visiting his home in May, an official said Friday.
Dos Santos, 24, who plays for JEF United Ichihara, and was previously a member of Brazil's under-21 team, was arrested by police 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.
Police said the unidentified woman got drunk at Dos Santos's house in Ichihara city, east of Tokyo. There, he allegedly tried to rape her, Watanabe said.
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.