Former Brazilian football star Robinho will continue to remain behind bars in Brazil, where he is serving a nine-year prison sentence. On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal for release, reaching the decision by majority vote in a virtual session.

The 41-year-old has been held in Tremembé prison, about 150 km from São Paulo, since March 2024. He was convicted of raping a 23-year-old Albanian woman in a Milan nightclub in 2013, during his time playing for AC Milan. The final verdict was issued by the Italian Court of Cassation in January 2022.

Although Brazil does not extradite its citizens, Italian authorities requested that Robinho serve his sentence in his home country after he returned during the judicial process. His lawyers have filed several appeals for release, all unsuccessful. The former footballer himself has denied the charges, calling the ruling the result of “racism.”