The Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights of Brazil, Damares Alves, called on Monday for Robinho, convicted in Italy for sexual violence, to go to jail "immediately".

"Immediately to jail, I have nothing more to say. There is still the possibility of appeal, but with the leak of the audios... What else do they want? Jail. No rapist can be applauded," Alves declared to journalists in Brasilia.

Last week, Robinho, former player of Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Milan, saw his signing with Santos frustrated, the Brazilian club where he was formed, due to pressure from sponsors because of the nine-year prison sentence against him.

The forward, 36 years old, was sentenced in 2017 to nine years in prison by a Milan court for his alleged involvement in a gang rape of a 23-year-old Albanian woman.

The incident occurred in 2013 in a nightclub in the Italian city. Robinho claims to be innocent and that the sex was consensual.

Despite those legal problems, Santos announced on the 10th of this month the return of Robinho for a symbolic salary, which generated a wave of criticism and the threat of several sponsors, who ultimately forced the board to cancel his signing.

"Does this guy want to go back to the field to pose as a hero?" wondered Minister Damares, who serves as an evangelical pastor, before praising Santos' decision to terminate the contract of the former Brazilian national team player.

In the midst of all this controversy, the portal 'GloboEsporte' published the transcripts of the phone conversations that the Italian justice used to convict Robinho, in which the player claimed that the case mattered "very little" to him because "the woman was completely drunk".

"The feeling of that made me nauseous, made me want to vomit. It was terrible to read what I read from a player of his stature," the minister said about those calls leaked by the mentioned media.

"This is a crime that deserves no consideration for the abuser, the rapist. We should not make concessions with this type of crime. He has to serve the established sentence, whether it's there or here, immediately," she added.

However, the conviction issued by the Italian justice is not final and can be appealed, so Robinho cannot be imprisoned yet.

The Constitution also prohibits the extradition of native Brazilians, although, potentially, the authorities of both countries could reach an agreement for the fulfillment of the sentence in Brazilian territory. EFE