The Italian Court of Appeal in Milan has sentenced former Real Madrid forward Robinho to nine years in prison for participating in the gang rape of a young woman at a nightclub in the northern Italian city in 2013.
Robinho and his friend, Ricardo Falco, have been accused of raping an Albanian girl who was celebrating her 23rd birthday in a well-known Milan venue.
“This sentence is an example for the protection of women and shows that the system works, when necessary,” the girl’s lawyer, Jacopo Gnocchi, told Italian media.
Santos, who had announced the return of the 36-year-old Brazilian striker in early October, terminated his contract shortly thereafter following pressure arising from the sexual violence conviction he received in Italy.
In their statement, the Brazilian club explained that they did so to let Robinho “concentrate exclusively on his defence in the process that takes place in Italy.”
Robinho denied the accusations in 2014, when the news broke that he was being investigated for rape.
In 2009, while playing for Manchester City, Robinho was investigated by the police for an alleged rape at a nightclub in Leeds. After being questioned, he was released on bail and denied those accusations too.
