Spanish police arrest Dani Alves banana thrower suspect

Spanish police say they have arrested a spectator suspected of throwing a banana at Barcelona's Brazilian footballer Dani Alves last weekend.

The racist incident took place as the player was about to take a corner in a match at Villarreal on Sunday.

Alves responded by peeling and eating the banana - which received praise worldwide and sparked a large social media campaign against racism.

The man detained has been identified as a 26-year-old Villarreal supporter.

He has been named as David Campaya Lleo, local media say.

The club said earlier the man involved had had his season ticket withdrawn and been given a lifetime ban.

In earlier comments to Brazil's Radio Globo, Alves said he wanted the opposition fan who threw the banana to be publicly shamed.
He also criticised Spain for its approach to racism, saying: "They sell the country as being first world but in certain things they are very backward."
The hashtag "we are all monkeys" took Twitter by storm after fellow Brazilian footballer Neymar tweeted a photo of himself smiling on Instagram with a banana, side by side with his toddler son.
Professional footballers, celebrities and ordinary people alike have since posted photos of themselves, banana in hand, on social media.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi became the latest public figure to join the campaign when he posed for reporters, sharing a banana with Italian football coach Cesare Prandelli.