Former Manchester City and Real Madrid forward, Robinho, has been ordered by a court in Brazil to serve a nine-year prison sentence for rape.
The ruling comes after an Italian court found him guilty in 2017 of participating in the gang rape of a 22-year-old Albanian woman in 2013.
Despite the Italian court’s verdict, Robinho, now 40, has been residing in Brazil, which does not extradite its citizens. However, judges in Brasilia decided on Wednesday that he must serve his sentence in Brazil following a request from Italy.
However, Robinho’s lawyers have confirmed that he will remain free pending a possible appeal against the ruling.
The former Brazil international, who earned 100 caps for his country, was playing for AC Milan at the time of the incident. Despite losing an appeal in 2020 and Italy’s highest court upholding his sentence in 2022, Robinho continued to deny the allegations.
In an interview with a Brazilian network last Sunday, Robinho claimed that the sexual encounter had been consensual. However, Italian prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant for him, leading to the recent court decision in Brazil.
Robinho’s career spanned across top clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City, where he won two La Liga titles with the former and made a significant impact. His tenure at City coincided with the ownership transition to Sheikh Mansour, marking a pivotal moment in the club’s history.
Following his time in Europe, Robinho also played for Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande and returned to Brazil to join Atletico Mineiro after his stint with AC Milan.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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