Robson de Souza Santos 'Robinho', 40, will serve his nine-year sentence for rape – which was imposed in Italy – in a prison in Brazil. This has been confirmed by the Brazilian Minister of Women, Cida Gonçalves, who applauded the decision of the Superior Court of Justice of Brazil. “The ruling in the Robinho case shows that it is possible to respect diplomatic agreements without compromising justice,” she said in a statement.
The Superior Court of Justice of Brazil approved the sentence imposed in Italy with nine votes in favor and two against, and by an even tighter majority ordered that the sentence be carried out in a closed regime immediately. For this reason, Robinho will have to go to prison before even being able to present appeals to this same court and the Supreme Court.
The former soccer player for Real Madrid, Manchester City and Milan, among other teams, was sentenced in 2017 to nine years in prison for participating in a group rape of a young woman in a restaurant in Milan in 2013. The judge considered it proven that the Brazilian was involved in the rape of a 22-year-old Albanian girl who was intoxicated in a nightclub in the Italian city. The events date back to January 22, 2013 and five other people participated in the sexual abuse of the young woman, in addition to the footballer.
The young woman testified during the trial that she knew Robinho and some of his friends and said that she was with them and two of her friends at the 'Sio Café' bar in Milan that night. She indicated that after her friends went to her house, the six men offered her drink until she was unconscious. It was then that she was taken to a cloakroom where, according to the sentence, “multiple sexual relations” occurred. The ruling also stipulated that the victim should be compensated with 60,000 euros.
Accused in 2009 of an alleged rape
At that time, Robinho belonged to the Milan squad, where he arrived in August 2010 from Manchester City, a club that recruited him in 2008 and which had had him on loan in the previous months to Santos, the team in which he trained and with whom that caught the attention of the greats of Europe. In October 2014, when the news broke that the Italian justice system was investigating him for the gang rape for which he ended up being convicted, he denied the accusations. The Prosecutor's Office then requested his arrest, but the judge rejected the measure in the first instance.
Already a Manchester City footballer, the British police investigated him in January 2009 also for an alleged rape that occurred in a nightclub in Leeds. He was questioned but released on bail after denying the allegations. In April of that same year, the authorities closed the investigation without Robinho being brought to trial.
Controversial on and off the field
Robinho spent four seasons defending the interests of Milan, a squad with which he played 144 games in which he scored 32 goals. It was his third experience in a European club, a football he joined in 2005 from Santos to wear the Real Madrid jersey.
Considered at the time as one of Pelé's heirs, Florentino Pérez bet heavily on the skilled attacker. The Chamartín team paid around 24.5 million euros to acquire his services after a complicated negotiation. He had a dazzling debut against Cádiz at the Ramón de Carranza stadium on August 28, 2005. But everything came to nothing. Those minutes were probably the best he played with Real Madrid, a team in which he did not fully live up to the enormous expectations placed on him.
Robinho played, between 2005 and 2008, a total of 135 games for Real Madrid, scoring 35 goals. He won two Leagues (2006-2007 and 2007-2008) and a Spanish Super Cup (2008). He shared a dressing room with stars like Roberto Carlos, Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo and Raúl, among others. But his Madrid journey was full of ups and downs and his nights out caused controversy within the club.
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