Robinho, the former footballer, was arrested in Santos, Brazil, after the Supreme Court rejected his request for a postponement, to begin his nine-year prison sentence which he was sentenced to in Italy for rape. His arrest came after the Brazil Supreme Court’s Justice Luiz Fux stated his detention order remains in place, allowing the beginning of his sentence.
Robinho’s lawyers had appealed to the Supreme Court to suspend the detention order. However, the Brazilian Federal Police confirmed that the player, whose real name is Robson de Souza, was arrested in the port city of Santos, where he resides. After his arrest, he would be transferred to the Tremembé prison, approximately 150 km from Sao Paolo.
The former Manchester City forward was convicted of gang-raping a young Albanian woman who was celebrating her 23rd birthday in a nightclub in Milan in 2013. The sentence was upheld by Italy’s Court of Cassation in January 2022. Robinho has always maintained his innocence, attributing his conviction to “racism”.
Since he was already in Brazil when the trial took place in Italy in 2017 and Brazil’s constitution does not permit the extradition of its citizens, Italian justice requested that Robinho serve his sentence in his home country. This request was accepted by the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice in a large majority vote.
Robinho will not be able to bail out while waiting for the exhaustion of all appeals because Brazil does not authorize bail for the crime he committed. This decision was particularly talked about in Brazil, in comparison with another rape case involving another Brazilian star, Daniel Alves, who received a much lower sentence. These incidents have sparked a discussion on the silence of football authorities in Brazil when it comes to such cases.
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12 Comments
Shouldnt athletes be held accountable for their actions off the field?
Do you think celebrities should face harsher consequences for their actions?
Absolutely not. Celebrities are held to a higher standard already. They face intense public scrutiny for every move they make. Harsher consequences would only feed into the toxic celebrity culture we already have. Let them make mistakes like everyone else.
Shouldnt athletes be held accountable for their actions off the field too?
Shouldnt Robinho face consequences for his actions regardless of his fame?
Absolutely, fame should not exempt anyone from facing consequences for their actions. Robinho must be held accountable just like anyone else. Justice should be blind to fame and everyone should be treated equally under the law.
Do you think Robinhos legal issues will affect his football career?
His legal issues should absolutely impact his football career. Personal conduct matters in any profession, especially one as high-profile as professional football. Its time for players to be held accountable for their actions on and off the field.
Wow, should athletes be held accountable for their off-field actions?
Do you think Robinhos past should impact his present situation? Lets discuss.
Do you think Robinhos past actions should impact his current situation?
Absolutely, Robinhos past actions should absolutely impact his current situation. Accountability and consequences matter, and turning a blind eye to his previous behavior sets a dangerous precedent. Personal growth and change are important, but we cant ignore the past.