Villarreal Defender Charged With Attempted Murder In Spain

Villarreal defender Ruben Semedo appeared in court on Thursday charged with attempted murder.

The court in Lliria, near Valencia, also charged the 23-year-old with robbery, assault, "illegal detention" and possession of illegal weapons.

Semedo, who was arrested on Tuesday, has been remanded without bail.

The Portugal under-21 centre-back joined the La Liga club in June for 14m euros from Sporting Lisbon.

The court, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunidad Valenciana, told BBC Sport: "The court of Lliria has ordered provisional detention, without bail for Villarreal player Ruben Semedo.

"The judge has charged the player with attempted murder, injuries, threats, illegal detention, illegal possession of weapons and robbery with violence."

Semedo has played five times since joining Villarreal and his last game was a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona on 10 December.

He played twice for Portugal at the European Under-21s Championships in Poland in June, as they failed to progress beyond the group stages.