While serving a nine-year prison sentence, disgraced former Man City and Brazil winger Robinho is allegedly taking a course to help him transition into a new profession.
In January 2013, while he was playing for AC Milan, the forty-year-old former Premier League player—real name Robson De Souza—was found guilty along with six other men of abusing an Albanian woman in an Italian nightclub.
Since Italian prosecutors believed he should serve his sentence in Italy, he was sentenced to prison in Brazil in March, according to a historic supreme court decision.
A recent article in The Sun claims that Robinho is gaining new knowledge in basic electronics, such as how to fix TVs and radios, as part of a scheme run by the Brazilian Universal Institute to help prisoners become ready for life after prison.
Robinho’s lawyer Mario Rosso Vale said: “Robinho is keeping his head down and quietly getting on with it… he is being an exemplary inmate and has had no issues with other prisoners.
“They even gave him some football boots, once he was integrated, to join in the games during recreation time.
“He is keeping himself occupied. He has signed up for a basic electronics course learning how to repair TVs and radios. He has to do 600 hours of remote learning to qualify in this area.”
Vale added: “It’s hard to say whether he’s enjoying it or not, but it’s helping to pass the time.”
Additionally, Robinho has offered to oversee a reading scheme that gives other prisoners 500 books each month.
The Milan Court of Appeals maintained Robinho’s initial sentence in December 2020, ruling that he had “belittled” and “brutally humiliated” the victim.
Robinho, for his part, is appealing his sentence because he believes he is innocent.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli