Robinho: The fugitive from Italian justice who still has supporters in Brazil

It is early September 2020. With Brazil averaging 850 deaths a day due to Covid-19 infections, no outdoor activities are allowed on the beaches of Santos, a coastal city south of Sao Paulo.

Robinho has already caused public outrageexternal-link by being pictured playing his beloved footvolley (without a mandatory mask) on the Canal 6, his favourite waterside spot.

Facing public hostility and media scrutiny, he has to figure out a way to keep practising.

He asks his old team, Santos, whether he can use their facilities.

They immediately grant him access. But there is one major issue that is shockingly ignored: Robinho's 2017 conviction for taking part in a gang rape in Italy and a nine-year jail sentence he unsuccessfully appealed against and has subsequently refused to return to Europe to complete.

The man who was once Britain's most expensive footballer (joining Manchester City for £32.5m in 2008) had become a free agent after leaving Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir and could be seen arriving at the Santos training ground in his Beetle almost every day.

His presence was welcomed by many officials, players and fans at the club, who appeared hopeful of luring him into signing for them for the fourth time in his career.

Santos would actually reach a five-month deal a month later, announcing his signing on 10 October, the same day Brazil celebrated its 'National Day of Fight Against Violence Against Women'.

The move prompted an outcry.

Bancada das Sereias, a feminist collective formed by Santos fans, would later tell Placar magazine: «We need our voice to be heard. We, Santos women's fans, don't want him at the club.»

When a sponsor ended a contract over the signing and multiple others protested, saying it was disrespectful to