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EX-MAN City star Robinho has been arrested at his home as he is set to serve his nine-year rape sentence. The Brazil ace was arrested by Federal Police on Thursday at his home in Santos, in the state of Sao Paulo.Brazil star Robinho has been jailed today at his home in Santos, Sao PauloHe was convicted of a 2013 gang-rape in 2017 and has been free ever sinceCredit: AFPThe former Premier League footballer is set to serve his sentence in BrazilCredit: GettyIt is understood he will undergo a custody hearing this evening in Brazil, Globo reports.The former player was detained after the Special Court of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) decided that he serve a nine-year sentence for the crime of gang rape, following a conviction by the Italian justice system.Italy had issued an international arrest warrant for Robinho, but the former Premier League star has dodged jail for seven years while living in Sao Paulo.Convicted in 2017, he will now serve his sentence in Brazil at the request of Italian authorities in an unprecedented move.Read more on RobinhoThe former Santos star says he is innocent.But yesterday Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (STJ) took a fresh look at Italy’s request.Nine of the 15 ministers voted in favour of the player serving his sentence in his home country – forming a simple majority and sealing the footballer’s fate.They did not judge whether the player is guilty or innocent, but whether he should serve the sentence in Brazil or not.Most read in FootballCONVICTED IN ITALYRobinho was one of a group of six men convicted of sexually assaulting an Albanian woman in a club on January 22, 2013 during his stint for AC Milan.He was found guilty in November 2017 in an Italian court and has made several failed attempts over the years to appeal.Decapitated inmates & jailhouse warlords – inside Brazil’s hellish prisons where ex-Man City star Robinho faces 9 yearsUnder Italian law, his sentence will not begin until the appeal processes have been completed.The Brazilian constitution doesn’t typically allow for the extradition of its citizens who’ve been sentenced abroad.Meaning that until today, the 40-year-old would have only faced actual arrest if he travelled abroad.In November last year Italian prosecutors said they felt Robinho should serve his time in Brazil.Brazil previously argued that he should serve his time in Italy, arguing that it would represent joint efforts to combat crime and judicial cooperation.Robinho, full name Robson de Souza, currently lives in Sao Paulo and surrendered his passport to authorities in March 2023 after his prison sentence was ratified in 2022.CLAIMS OF INNOCENCERobinho, who has claimed he is innocent, accused the Italian justice system of “racism” and said the encounter in 2013 was “consensual”.He told a Brazilian network TV Record on Sunday: “I hope that here in Brazil I can have the voice that I didn’t have there.””I never denied it (the encounter). I could have denied it because my DNA was not there, but I’m not a liar.”I played for four years in Italy and I got tired of seeing stories about racism. The same people who do nothing about racism, which I repudiate, are the ones who condemned me.”A Brazilian news outlet previously published audio recordings obtained by Italian authorities which included Robinho discussing the case with friends.I hope that here in Brazil I can have the voice that I didn’t have there [in Italy]RobinhoIn one clip he says: “We will punch her in her face. You will punch her in the face and say; ‘What did I do to you?'”And in another: “That is why I am laughing, I don’t care at all.”The girl was extremely drunk, she doesn’t even know who I am.”A further leaked conversation shows him saying: “If this comes out in the press, it will screw me.”Robinho played for clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan, and signed a contract in 2020 to return to his first club in Brazil, Santos.However, the deal almost immediately fell apart after sponsors reportedly threatened to cut ties with the club for signing a player convicted of rape.Speaking after the Santos announcement, the striker took to Instagram to admit: “Guys, this is Robinho.READ MORE SUN STORIES“Of course, with a lot of sadness in my heart, I’m here to tell you that I made the decision with the club president to suspend my contract at this troubled time in my life.“My goal has always been to help Santos Football Club and if in any way I’m getting in the way, it’s best I leave and focus on my personal things.”Robinho’s Rape Case: a TimelineThe rape case involving Brazilian footballer Robinho spans several years. Here’s a brief timeline:

2014: Brazilian media reported on the allegations against Robinho, but no formal charges were filed at that time.

2017: Robinho was found guilty of sexual assault by an Italian court and sentenced to nine years in prison. However, he denied the charges and appealed the verdict.

2020: After the appeal process, Robinho’s sentence was upheld by the Italian court. But due to the statute of limitations in Italy, he was not extradited to serve his sentence.

2022: Robinho’s prison sentence is ratified.

March 2023: Robinho surrendered his passport to authorities

November 2023: Italian prosecutors said they felt Robinho should serve his time in Brazil.

March 20, 2024: Brazil’s Superior Court formed a simple majority and voted for Robinho to serve the sentence in his home country.

Robinho pictured in 2012 during his time at AC MilanCredit: Reuters More

EX-BRAZIL star Dani Alves is set to walk out of prison today after allegedly getting Neymar’s dad to pay his €1million (£850,000) bail.Alves, 40, won his fight to appeal his four-and-a-half year jail sentence from the comfort of his own home – which the lawyer of his victim branded “justice for the rich”.The disgraced footballer pictured as he was sentenced on February 22 for rapeCredit: AFPHe had only served one month in jail since his four-and-a-half sentenceCredit: PAAlves with his model wife Joana Sanz who filed for divorce last yearAlves has allegedly turned to pal Neymar’s father to make the million euro bailCredit: ReutersThe Barcelona court’s ruling came a day after his lawyer requested the disgraced footballer’s release on grounds he had already served a quarter of his sentence in pre-trial detention following his arrest in January 2023.The decision, which was not unanimous due to one dissenting judge on the panel of three, can be appealed.But the court’s ruling drew a furious response from the lawyer of the young woman, 23, who was raped by Alves at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.Her lawyer Ester Garcia blasted the decision as “scandalous”.She fumed on RAC1 radio: “I’m very surprised and totally outraged… because it’s like this is justice for the rich.”Garcia added: “It is scandalous that they can free a person who they know can get hold of a million euros in a heartbeat.”Sources close to Alves were saying today they were confident the bail cash the footballer has to hand over could be raised today. But Alves has allegedly turned to his pal Neymar’s dad to front the money, LaVanguardia reports.Most read in FootballAccording to sources close to the player, this is allegedly the same route he used to pay for the €150,000 (£128,000) compensation given to his victim.Neymar Santos Sr reportedly made himself available to Alves after his assets were frozen under a Brazilian court order related to his ex-wife, Dinorah Santana.The conditions for Alves’ release include relinquishing both his Brazilian and Spanish passports so he cannot flee Spain as well as an obligation to appear before the court on a weekly basis.The court also imposed a restraining order, barring the shamed star from coming within 1km of his victim.Public prosecutors had opposed his request, arguing he posed a high flight risk.Alves, one of the world’s most decorated footballers who played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, was sentenced on February 22 after being convicted of raping a woman at a Barcelona nightclub in the early hours of December 31, 2022.His lawyers swiftly appealed the conviction.Dani Alves guilty of raping woman in nightclub bathroom with ex-Barcelona star jailed for more than 4 yearsAlves said via video link in a behind-closed-doors court hearing yesterday morning: “I am not going to flee, I believe in justice.”The star protested his innocence on February 7 after taking the stand on the last day of his three-day trial, saying the sex he had with his 23-year-old female accuser was consensual and insisting he would never hurt anyone.The victim, who testified behind a screen to protect her identity, said Alves had violently forced her to have sex in a private bathroom of the nightclub despite begging him to let her go, causing her “anguish and terror”, prosecutors said.Alves’ lawyers had argued the victim had been “glued” to the player while dancing at the nightclub, saying there was “sexual tension” between them.But the court said in its 61-page decision that this did not mean “that she consented to anything that might have subsequently happened”.What happened?BRAZILIAN international footballer Dani Alves was accused of raping a woman in a nightclub in Barcelona on December 30, 2022.
In a trial held in Barcelona in February 2024, the footballer denied the allegations and said the encounter had been consensual. 
Held at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court, the trial lasted three days and saw the victim, witnesses, and experts testify.
His accuser told the prosecution that she had willingly entered the bathroom with him, but that he forced her to stay after she wanted to leave.
In court she claimed that he was aggressive with her, slapping her and insulting her, and then forced her to have sex with him.
Following the trial, Alves was found guilty of raping the woman.
He was convicted on February 22 and sentenced to four-and-a-half years.
The court also ordered Alves to pay £130K (150,000 euros) in compensation to the victim.
The court said in a statement: “The sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence, in addition to the testimony of the plaintiff, to consider the rape proven.”
He had previously been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest on January 20, 2023.
Alves’ lawyers immediately appealed his sentence.
On March 20, 2024 – a Barcelona court released Alves on a bail of one million euros (££850,000) pending an appeal on his conviction.
His defense is seeking his acquittal while the prosecutor wants his prison sentence increased to nine years.
There is no date yet for the new trial at a higher court in Barcelona. It can then go to the Supreme Court in Madrid.

It was not immediately clear where Alves could spend his first night of freedom since January 20, 2023, when he was arrested.His properties include a mansion in Esplugues de LLobregat, a 25-minute drive west of Barcelona’s city centre.The home was built in 2010 when he was still married to his ex-wife Dinorah Santana, before he met and married Tenerife-born model Joana Sanz.Sanz revealed last year she had demanded a divorce after Alves admitted for the first time he had sex with the woman he was found guilty of raping.The 31-year-old brunette later said the divorce had been put on hold and she gave evidence on Alves’ behalf at his trial which lasted from February 5 to 7.The footballer made several attempts to get bail before his conviction, but they were turned down partly on the basis he was a flight risk.Prosecutors feared that he may attempt to flee Spain and make it to Brazil as the country does not extradite its citizens sentenced abroad.The jail sentence he received, considered lenient by some critics, was far less than the nine years public prosecutors demanded and the 12 years Alves’ female accuser wanted.Part of his lawyer’s arguments at today’s hearing at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court involved downplaying the idea he was now a flight risk.His lawyer also argued that he had already served a quarter of his sentence in pre-trial detention which should be taken into account.The public prosecutor and his victim’s lawyer are also appealing the sentence and want him to receive a stiffer punishment.Alves only served less than a month in prison after he was sentencedCredit: APJoana Sanz ditched Alves after he was arrested – but their divorce is now on holdIn a bombshell move, Joana gave evidence on his behalf at his February trialTHE TRIALAlves, who became the oldest player to represent Brazil at the World Cup in December 2022 in Qatar, was ordered to stand trial last November.Initially it was reported he had been accused of putting his hands down a woman’s underwear before it emerged his victim was saying she had been raped.He was sacked by Mexican side UNAM Pumas following his arrest in Barcelona at the start of last year after he flew back to the Catalan capital to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.Judges turned down his previous bail requests and stated that his victim’s version of events was coherent.They argued that Alves had changed his story several times as the evidence authorities had built up against him emerged.The disgraced footballer claimed before his arrest he had never met his female accuser but ended up backtracking after being held.In an interview from prison last June with Spanish TV, he claimed: “The only person I have to ask for forgiveness is my wife.”Joana Sanz gave evidence on his behalf and said he arrived home “very drunk”. His alcohol consumption that night was not taken into account as a mitigating factor.Alves said in a letter, published by Joana but quickly removed: “I pray every day that the day comes when I can see you wake up.”As well as two spells at Barcelona, Alves has played for Seville, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.He is widely considered as one of the greatest full-backs of all time.At the start of the year ahead of his conviction, his mum Lucia Alves caused controversy and left herself open to future prosecution by naming and picturing her son’s victim in a social media post she later removed.She attended his trial along with Alves’ brothers.Spain’s second deputy PM Yolanda Diaz said after he was convicted: “I hope this prison sentence serves as an exemplary measure for all the sexist behaviour women suffer in all areas.”Earlier this month, Dani Alves’ brother Ney blasted an internet prankster whose fake claims the footballer had killed himself in prison went viral.Today, Catalonia’s High Court of Justice said in a statement: “The 21st section of the Barcelona Audiencia Provincial Court has agreed by a majority and with one dissenting vote to agree to the conditional release of Daniel Alves da Silva, with the payment of a bail bond of one million euros.READ MORE SUN STORIES“In the event that payment is made and his provisional release is agreed, his Spanish and Brazilian passports will be withdrawn, he will be banned from leaving Spain and he will have to sign on at the court on a weekly basis and appear in court whenever he is ordered to do so.“Daniel Alves da Silva is also banned from going within 1,000 metres of the complainant’s home, place of work or any other place frequented by her…. until a final judgement is handed down after the appeals against his sentence have been concluded.”Joana is pictured leaving court after testifying at Alves’ trial last monthAlves is widely considered as one of the greatest full-backs of all timeCredit: AFPAlves’ wedding to Sanz in 2017 More