Robinho is facing nine years in prison, after his appeal against a rape conviction was rejected. 

The former Manchester City and Brazil star was found guilty of his part in the gang rape of a 23-year old Albanian woman in 2017.

The incident occurred in a Milan nightclub in 2013, while the Brazilian was an AC Milan player.

According to Brazilian outlet, UOL Robinho's appeal - and that of his friend Ricardo Falco - were rejected by the Court of Cassation in Rome. They have no further course of appeal.

However, Robinho is currently in Brazil, a country which does not extradite citizens born there. Italy will therefore request that the 37-year old serve his sentence in Brazil.

The Court of Cassation heard the case for 30 minutes on Friday, ruling Robinho's appeal was inadmissible.

The victim originally accused six men of assaulting her, and her lawyer Jacopo Gnocchi told reporters on Thursday, "There are two people convicted in Brazil [Robinho and Falco] and another four that must be found in Brazil, who must be given the notice of conclusion of the investigation, and this must be done by the Public Ministry.

He added, "It's cases like this that change society's thinking. In total, 15 judges, divided into three instances, understood that the victim was telling the truth. Brazil is a country that protects the victim, not the culprit."

Robinho's defence indicated that their client will pay the victim a compensation package of €60,000 with the need for her to file a civil suit.

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