Former Brazil international football player Robinho, 40, has been arrested to serve a nine-year prison sentence for rape. He was convicted two years ago in Italy for his involvement in the gang rape of an Albanian woman at a nightclub in Milan in 2013.
Robinho was arrested at his flat in his hometown of Santos, Brazil, after the Italian government requested that he serve his sentence in his home country. Despite attempts to halt his detention, a Supreme Court judge rejected the request on Thursday, leading to his incarceration.
The decision to enforce the sentence and place him in prison rather than under house arrest has been lauded by many in Brazil’s justice system and local media. There were concerns that Robinho’s fame and wealth might allow him to evade justice.
The former Brazil international, who earned 100 caps for his country, was playing for AC Milan at the time of the crime. He lost an appeal in 2020, and Italy’s highest court upheld his sentence in 2022, prompting Italian prosecutors to issue an international arrest warrant.
Robinho, who also had a stint with Manchester City, claimed in an interview with a Brazilian network on Sunday that the sexual encounter had been consensual.
Reported By BBC Sports.
