Italian court upholds Robinho’s nine-year rape sentence

Former Brazil footballer, Robinho, 37, was sentenced to nine years in prison by an Italian court over his involvement in a rape case eight years ago.

The incident involved the gang-rape of a 22-year-old Albanian woman at Sio Café nightclub in Milan in January 2013.

Robinho, who was playing for AC Milan at the time, was said to be part of a group that gang-raped a 23-year-old Albanian woman at the Sio Cafe nightclub and was originally sentenced in 2017, having gone on to lose two appeals.

The ex-footballer has no further right to appeal, meaning that the latest ruling by the Rome court is final. However, it remains to be seen whether he will serve his sentence in a Brazilian or Italian jail.

The Brazilian denied his involvement, but his claim was not enough to clear him off the scandal.

Italy’s highest court, on Wednesday, upheld the original nine-year sentence, as confirmed by judges at the Court of Cassation in Rome.

Robinho, who also had a stint at Real Madrid, made a return back to his boyhood club, Santos after leaving Turkish side, Istanbul Basaksehir. He was placed on a tiny salary of £50k per week.

Unfortunately for Santos, Robinho’s rape scandal cost them their T-shirt sponsorship after the withdrawal of Orthopride, a dental gadgets manufacturer who claimed to have withdrawn their sponsorship “in respect to women who used their products.”

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