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Former Manchester City forward Robinho is set to begin a nine-year prison sentence for rape after having a final appeal rejected by a court in Italy.
Robinho was convicted in 2017 for taking part in the gang rape of a woman in Milan in 2013.
Robinho and five other Brazilians were found guilty of assaulting an Albanian woman, who was 22 at the time, at the Sio Cafe nightclub in the city.
The former Real Madrid forward continually rejected claims he took part in the assault but the Supreme Court in Rome has now upheld a previous ruling sentencing the 37-year-old to nine years in jail.
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Robinho is unlikely to serve his sentence in Italy as he is currently in his native Brazil, which does not allow the extradition of its citizens under its constitution.
However, Italy can request that he serves his sentence in a Brazilian prison.
Robinho, who won 100 caps for the Brazilian national side, began his career at Santos before moving to Real Madrid in 2005.
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He would later join Manchester City in 2008 for a then British record £32.5m fee but was loaned back to Santos in 2010 after failing to impress at the Etihad.
The forward would join AC Milan on a permanent deal later that year before moving on to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande in 2015.
Spells at Atletico Mineiro, Sivasspor and Istanbul Besaksehir would follow for the Brazilian, who returned to Santos in 2020.
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However, his signing was met with criticism in Brazil and the club later suspended his contract "in order for the player to concentrate exclusively on his defence in the ongoing case in Italy".
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Robinho, Manchester City, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Football, Brazil