The Brazilian Supreme Court has decided that Robinho, the former striker for Manchester City, should spend nine years in prison after he was found guilty of gang rape in Italy back in 2017.
In January 2013, Robinho was found guilty along with five other men of sexually assaulting a woman in an Italian nightclub. After being found guilty in November 2017, he has tried in vain to overturn the verdict on multiple occasions.
Despite being found guilty by an Italian court, the forty-year-old former Premier League player has lived in his home country of Brazil for the past seven years. Robinho was the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Italy earlier, but he is still at large.
Nine out of the fifteen ministers who voted in favor of the former player serving the sentence in his native country were part of the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (BSCJ) review team, despite the fact that he has persisted in arguing his innocence.
Rather than determining Robinho’s guilt or innocence, the vote decided whether the former Santos and AC Milan player should serve his jail term.
According to Italian law, the official start of his sentence cannot occur until the appeals process is finished.
Robinho’s nine-year sentence should be served in Brazil, according to Italian prosecutors’ argument from November of last year, since Brazilian citizens are not eligible for extradition.
Conversely, prior to the recent vote, Brazil had stated that any jail time should occur in Italy.
During his playing career, Robinho rose to prominence as one of Brazil’s most famous exports, representing a number of prestigious teams, including City, AC Milan, and Real Madrid. Along with scoring 28 goals, he earned 100 caps for his nation.
During his stints in Europe, he won the La Liga title, the Serie A crown, and the Copa America tournament with the Brazilian national team.
Robinho resides in Santos, which is close to the border of Sao Paulo. In March of last year, he gave his passport up to Brazilian authorities.