'Racism' lead to Robinho's sentencing in sexual assault case? He thinks so

Robinho, an ex-Brazilian international footballer, was arrested in his hometown of Santos, and he will begin serving a nine-year sentence for his 2017 conviction in a sexual assault case — bus is it all because of racism?

He had been slapped with nearly a decade’s sentence in 2013, when he was playing for AC Milan in Italy. Fortunately for him, Brazil does not allow extradition of its citizens. Therefore, Italy said that Robinho, who has also played for Manchester City, should serve his punishment in Brazil, Independent reported.

While his hearings were ongoing, Robinho left the country, evading arrest and also denied any wrongdoing.

Law enforcers arrested the former star from his apartment in Santos on Thursday night, a day after Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice upheld the Italian court’s ruling.

Robinho; however, claims the sentence is a result of racism in Italy.

In a recent conversation with Record TV: “I was convicted in Italy unjustly for something that did not happen and I have all the evidence to show that. I played four years in Italy and I got tired of seeing stories of racism.”

“Unfortunately, it happens today. That happened in 2013 and today we are in 2024, which leads me to believe that the same people who do nothing against racism are the same ones who they condemned at my trial.”

“If my trial were for a white person, it would be totally different, without a doubt.”