Robinho told to serve nine-year prison sentence for rape in Brazil

Former Manchester City and Brazil star Robinho has been told by judges to serve a nine-year prison sentence in his home country after being convicted of rape.

In 2017, Robinho was sentenced by an Italian court in absentia to nine years in prison, after he was convicted of taking part in a group sexual assault of a 22-year-old Albanian woman in 2013.

The conviction was later upheld by Milan's Court of Appeals, and then upheld for a second time by Italy's top court in 2022.

Robinho currently lives in Santos, Brazil. The 40-year-old reportedly surrendered his passports to authorities in March 2023.

The Italian courts have been seeking imprisonment for Robinho in his home nation, as extraditing nationals is not allowed as part of Brazil's constitution.

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BBC have reported that a Brazilian court in the country's capital of Brasilia has ruled he should serve the sentence in Brazil.

Judges on Brazil's Superior Court of Justice voted 9-2 to validate Robinho's conviction.

It is added that Robinho can still appeal to his country's Supreme Court, and that his lawyer told the court at the beginning of Wednesday's hearing that his client wanted a retrial in Brazil 'on grounds of national sovereignity', as per Sky News.

He will remain free pending a possible appeal to the hearing, lawyers have said.

Robinho continues to deny wrongdoing, and told a Brazilian network on Sunday that the sex had been 'consensual'.

The Brazil striker was the most expensive signing in English football history when he joined Manchester City in the summer of 2009, shortly after the takeover of the club by Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi United Group.

After 14 goals in his first campaign, the striker had a disappointing second season and joined AC Milan in 2010.

He subsequently had spells with Santos, Atletico Mineiro and Guangzhou Evergrande, before two stints in Turkish football.

His final professional club was Santos, who announced the suspension of his contract just days after a sponsor complained about the player's signing. They stated that Robinho would 'focus exclusively on his defence'.