Robinho issues statement after being sentenced to nine years in prison for rape

Robinho has broken his silence after being sentenced to nine years in prison for a 2013 sexual assault.

On Thursday, the former Real Madrid and Manchester City forward was found guilty of the gang-rape of a 22-year-old Albanian woman in a Milan nightclub four years ago. Robinho, who was at AC Milan at the time, was sentenced alongside five other men who were said to have been involved in the crime. The Brazilian has the right to two appeals and he maintains his innocence, taking to Instagram shortly after the verdict was delivered to claim that he was not involved. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb2NoCBDa_E/?hl=en&taken-by=robinho "We would like to clarify that he has already defended himself against the accusations, affirming that he did not participate in the episode," a statement on the player's Instagram feed reads. "All legal measures are being taken." The sentence will not be enforced by the court until Robinho's appeal process has been completed. The Milan court also ordered that the victim should receive €60,000 as compensation. Robinho made 100 appearances for the Brazil national team and had been hand-selected by Pele as his heir apparent. Having represented Real Madrid for three years, he moved to Manchester City for a then-British record transfer fee before being transferred to AC Milan. He is currently contracted to Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro.