Former Manchester City and Real Madrid star Robinho has been arrested in Brazil to serve a nine-year sentence for raping a woman in 2013. The arrest comes after the Supreme Court rejected his request to delay the sentence.
Robinho was found guilty by an Italian court in 2017 of participating in the gang rape of an Albanian woman in Milan. He lost an appeal in 2020 and had his sentence upheld by Italy’s highest court in 2022.
As Brazil does not extradite its nationals, Italy requested that Robinho serve his sentence in his home country. A court in Brasilia agreed, and on Thursday, court president Maria Thereza de Assis Moura signed a document paving the way for an arrest warrant.
Robinho’s lawyers had filed a request to the Supreme Court to allow him to remain free while challenging the latest court decision, but it was rejected. He was arrested at his luxury condominium in Guaruja, near Santos, and will be taken to a prison in Tremembe.
Robinho has denied the charges and claimed the sex was consensual. However, the complaint alleges that he and his co-accused made the victim drink to the point of unconsciousness and then had sexual relations with her multiple times.
The case has sparked criticism over the failure of football authorities in Brazil to condemn violence against women. Palmeiras president Leila Pereira has lashed out at the football world for its silence on the twin rape convictions of Robinho and former Barcelona defender Dani Alves.
Robinho’s arrest marks a dramatic fall from grace for the former star, who was once touted as the successor to the golden generation of Brazilian players. He has 100 Brazil caps and 28 goals for his country.
