Brazilian court orders Robinho to surrender passport in rape case

Embattled Brazilian footballer Robinho has been ordered to surrender his passport as Brazilian authorities determine whether he will serve his nine-year sentence for rape in his home country.

The Brazilian player was convicted in Italy in 2017 for his role in a group sexual assault in Milan that occurred four years earlier while he played for AC Milan.

The Italian Supreme Court confirmed his sentence in 2022, leading Italian prosecutors to issue an international arrest warrant. Robinho, who resides in Santos, near São Paulo, has five days to deliver his passport to the court, according to Judge Francisco Falcão.

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Brazil does not extradite its citizens who are sentenced abroad. Italy has requested that Robinho serve his sentence in his home country, but there is no deadline for the decision from Brazil’s superior court of justice.

The statement from the court said Falcão considered the gravity of the crime, the case’s international ramifications, and Robinho’s economic position, which could facilitate a potential escape from Brazil.

Robinho started his career with Santos and then played for Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Milan before returning for a third spell with Santos in 2020. However, the club suspended his contract less than a week later when a sponsor terminated its association with the club “out of respect for women.”

Robinho has denied the allegations against him.