Lawyers representing former footballer Robinho, who faces a nine-year prison sentence in Brazil for rape, have lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court on Thursday.
This appeal comes after a Brasilia court ruled that Robinho should begin serving his sentence “immediately” following a conviction by an Italian court for his involvement in the 2013 gang rape of a woman at a Milan nightclub.
Robinho, aged 40, was sentenced by an Italian court for his role in the assault during his time at AC Milan.
Despite being convicted in 2017 and losing an appeal in 2020, his nine-year jail term was reaffirmed by Italy’s highest court in 2022.
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However, due to Brazil’s policy of not extraditing its citizens, Italy sought for him to serve the sentence in his home country, resulting in the recent court ruling in Brasilia.
The footballer’s legal team has requested a postponement of the implementation of the sentencing decision to allow them to challenge the legality of his imminent imprisonment.
Robinho’s case marks a significant downfall for the player, who has represented Brazil 100 times and played for renowned clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Despite a brief detainment in England in 2009 over allegations of sexual assault, which were later dropped, and an attempted return to Santos in 2020, his career has been marred by the rape conviction.
