Former Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester City striker Robinho claims his rape conviction was because Italy is ‘racist’ and he would not have been convicted if white.
The 40-year-old spent four seasons at Milan from 2010 to 2014, then went on loan to Santos before his free transfer to Guangzhou Evergrande.
It was while at a nightclub in Milan in 2013 that Robinho and his friend Ricardo Falco were involved in the rape of an Albanian woman.
While they claimed it was consensual, Italian police insist there is audio evidence that consent was not given.
He was convinced to nine years in prison, but has not served any of his sentence, as Brazil does not have an extradition agreement with Italy.
The courts in Brazil are trying to make him see out the sentence in his home country, but the matter is before the Supreme Court this Wednesday.
With that in mind, Robinho gave an interview with Record TV insisting that his conviction was racially motivated.
“I was convicted in Italy unjustly for something that did not happen and I have all the evidence to show that,” said the former striker.
“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.”