Former Real Madrid attacker, Robson de Souza popularly called Robinho, is facing an imminent nine-year jail term after a Milan Court of Appeal found him guilty over his role in an alleged case of gang rape.
The 37-year-old has been sentenced alongside his friend Ricardo Falco for the gang rape of a 22-year-old Albanian woman at a Milan nightclub in Italy in 2013.
Robinho’s prison sentence was upheld by the Milan Court of Appeal after he was initially found guilty in 2017 and handed the sentence in December.
According to Globo, the former AC Milan forward and his representatives allegedly ‘attempted to deceive investigators’ by providing different accounts on ‘previously agreed facts’.
The court determined that Robinho had “belittled” and “brutally humiliated” the victim, who was celebrating her 23rd birthday on the night of the incident at a well-known Milan venue, says Marca, quoting La Repubblica.
The Manchester City flop and his team have one final chance to overturn their client’s guilty verdict. The star has 45 days to lodge a further appeal with the Supreme Court.
At 15 years of age, Robinho was chosen by Brazil legend Pelé as his heir apparent, leading Santos FC to two titles, including their first Campeonato Brasileiro title since Pelé himself played for the club.
Robinho won two titles with Spanish club Real Madrid before moving to the Italian Serie A when he won the Scudetto in his first season with AC Milan, whom he was playing for at the time of the incident.
Following an unsuccessful spell in the Premier League with Manchester City, the 37-year-old toured different clubs across Brazil, China and Turkey before finally rejoining his boyhood club Santos in 2020.
Robinho has won one Copa América title and two FIFA Confederations Cups with the Brazilian national team and played at two FIFA World Cups.
