Lawyers representing Robinho, the former Manchester City and Real Madrid footballer, have filed an appeal with the Supreme Court in an effort to prevent him from serving a nine-year prison sentence in Brazil for a rape conviction.
Robinho, who is 40 years old, was ordered ordered to begin serving his prison term in Brazil without delay after being found guilty by an Italian court for participating in the 2013 gang rape of a woman at a Milan nightclub while playing for AC Milan.
His legal team has requested the Supreme Court to postpone the enforcement of Brazil’s highest appeals court's decision, which mandated his imprisonment, to allow time to challenge the legality of his impending imprisonment.
Robinho was initially convicted of rape by an Italian court in 2017 and subsequently had his nine-year jail sentence confirmed by Italy’s highest court in 2022 after losing an appeal in 2020.
As Brazil does not extradite its citizens, Italian authorities issued an international arrest warrant for him and requested that he serve the sentence in Brazil.
A Brasilia court ruled in favor of Italy’s request, with nine votes to two, directing Robinho to commence his nine-year jail term immediately.
The case marks a significant downfall for the footballer, who earned 100 caps for Brazil and scored 28 goals.
During his career, he played for Real Madrid alongside stars such as David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane before moving to Manchester City.
In 2009, he was briefly held in England over an alleged sexual assault of a young woman, but the charges were dropped following an investigation.
In 2020, he attempted to return to his childhood club Santos, but the club halted the deal due to pressure from fans and sponsors following his rape conviction.
AFP
