Brazil striker given prison sentence for 2013 rape

The sentence will be put on hold until the appeals process is completed.

Robinho, capped 100 times by his country, spent two years at Manchester City and currently plays for Atletico Mineiro in Brazil.

Brazilian footballer Robinho has been sentenced to nine years in prison for taking part in the gang rape of a woman in Milan in 2013.

An Italian court ruled the 33-year-old and five other Brazilians assaulted the Albanian woman, who was 22, after plying her with alcohol in a nightclub.

The forward, who left AC Milan in 2015 after five years, was not in court but pleaded not guilty via his lawyer.

A post on Robinho's Instagram page said he had "already defended himself against the accusations, affirming that he did not participate in the episode" and that "all legal measures are being taken".

After starting his career at Santos, Robinho won two La Liga titles in four seasons at Real Madrid, before joining City for a then British record fee of £32.5m in the summer of 2008.

His arrival, on the final day of the transfer window, came on Sheikh Mansour's first day as owner of the Premier League club.

The playmaker struggled to make an impact in England and was loaned back to Santos in January 2010.

He won Serie A during his subsequent spell at Milan, but returned to Santos for another loan spell in August 2014 before joining Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande in July 2015.

When his sixth-month deal expired, he moved back to Brazil, joining Atletico Mineiro on a two-year deal.

Brazil and Chelsea star [Willian] is expected to join Manchester United in January.

Last January and the summer before, Manchester United were strongly linked with the signing of Chelsea midfielder Willian. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, Chelsea stood their ground and elected to keep the midfielder at Stamford Bridge. Now, however, it appears executives at Old Trafford may get their wish.Reports out of France indicated Chelsea is engaged in talks to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lucas Moura. Le 10

Sport believes Chelsea will part with Willian, should they successfully acquire their target. Having made only 17 starts last season, and just 15 appearances this campaign, it appears that Willian will not be able to advance his career under Antonio Conte.
Some reports suggest he could be headed to China, but Jose Mourinho will, no doubt, take a close look at his availability. The Portuguese manager is obviously a big fan of Willian, and from all indications, he’s not too keen on Martial, which means Willian could be coming to United to take Martial’s place in the team.

Chelsea are ready to sell midfielder Willian, 29, to fund a move for Paris St-Germain midfielder Lucas Moura, 25

Chelsea are ready to sell midfielder Willian, 29, to fund a move for Paris St-Germain midfielder Lucas Moura, 25. (Le 10 Sport, via Daily Star)

Legend Frank Lampard open to Chelsea return after Michael Emenalo’s shock departure

FRANK LAMPARD has opened the door for a Chelsea return after Michael Emenalo's shock exit.

Emanelo quit as the Blues technical director after ten years on Monday leaving a vacancy in the backroom staff.

And Lampard — who hung up his boots in February — admitted he would love to return to Stamford Bridge.

Lampard said: "I worked with Michael for seven or eight years and his role at the club coincided with the most successful period in Chelsea's history so I think he deserves a lot of credit from that.

"Everyone at Chelsea wishes him well as he moves on.

"In terms of myself, I don't know.

"I'm a Chelsea person, I'd love to be involved with the club long-term in some way. We'll see."

Lampard has been doing his coaching badges with Chelsea Under-18s boss Jody Morris.

And although keeping tight-lipped on the technical director position, Lampard did say the manager's job would be his dream.

He added: "I need to learn, having played for 20 years doesn't necessarily make you a great manager, so I have to learn the ropes, but I would love to be able to put my experiences as a player.

"Of course, having been in Chelsea for so long, that would be the club, that would be my dream, but that's not an easy path.

"I've worked with many managers so I'd like to think that I could take the good and the bad from all the managers I've had and find my own way.

"I would love to work with young players and try and improve them not just as players but as young people."

Alvaro Morata destroy Manchester United as The former Real Madrid striker broke the deadlock for the south-west London club with a spectacular header ten minutes after the break

The antipathy between Conte and Mourinho has been barely disguised, and the pair exchanged the most cursory of handshakes before kick-off.

And a measure of just how much this win meant to Conte in both a footballing and personal context could be seen in just how fired up he was throughout.

The Italian was lectured by referee Anthony Taylor for his touchline antics, was seen brandishing an imaginary yellow card, and was almost bursting out of his coat in celebration at the final whistle.

After striding on to the pitch at the full-time whistle to congratulate his players, he punched the air to all four sides of Stamford Bridge, then pumped his fist against his chest.

Conte's position at Chelsea has been the subject of much conjecture for most of this season, and he was clearly hurt by the manner of his side's Champions League defeat by Roma in midweek, but he got an instant response against United and his old adversary Mourinho.

Chelsea's win will hardly have leaders Manchester City breaking into a cold sweat, but this was a victory Conte desperately needed.

Asked about the lack of a handshake with Mourinho at the end of the game, he told Sky Sports: "It's not important. It's important to win the game.

"You have to have the respect on the pitch not outside the pitch."

Morata and Romelu Lukaku were central figures in a summer of transfer speculation as both Chelsea and United moved to strengthen their attacking resources with marquee signings.

United felt they had pulled off a coup in signing Lukaku from Everton in a £90m deal after supposedly long-standing interest from his former club Chelsea, while Conte insisted he had got the man he wanted all along when he completed a £65m move for Morata.

There was only one winner here as Morata's movement, desire and match-winning goal meant he totally outshone the Belgian.

Lukaku has not scored in his past seven games and struggled to make any sort of impact as United slumped to a disappointing defeat.

Morata, in contrast, led Chelsea's line with pace and energy and made the game's decisive contribution with a towering header after being given far too much space by the United defence.

This was another disappointing return to Stamford Bridge for Mourinho, who lost 4-0 against his former club in the Premier League last season and was also on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat in an FA Cup quarter-final.

And, while it would be harsh to accuse Mourinho of parking the bus, it was yet another cautious performance from United until they went behind to that magnificent header from Morata.

Mourinho will have every right to question how Morata could find so much space around Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones - but ultimately United left their push too late.

Fellaini was thrown on to add his usual mix of physicality and nuisance value, almost scoring with a scrambled shot that Courtois pushed away, while Rashford was narrowly off target with a snapshot and a free-kick.

But, yet again, there remains the lingering feeling United could have secured a more satisfactory result by adopting a bolder strategy - and this loss means Manchester City are now threatening to disappear into the distance.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte on Sky Sports: "It's an important victory. When you play against Manchester United it's always a massive game. We know very well this team is very strong. This type of win is important for our confidence. We showed great desire and passion to win this kind of game.

"We can win or lose but our spirit must be this. Last season our spirit was in every game - we started this season with a lot of problems. We were up and down. This game showed if we want, we can."

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho: "It was an even match. Both teams could win. The first to score would be in more defensive control and to win the match.

"The first half was really even. In the second half in the only period where they were on top of the game, they scored.

"It frustrates us to concede a goal in this situation. We lost ourselves after the goal emotionally. We found again the balance and desire in the last 15 to 20 minutes. It was all us.

Alvaro Morata scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The former Real Madrid striker broke the deadlock for the south-west London club with a spectacular header ten minutes after the break.

The goal was Morata's first in seven games, and was enough to secure all three points for Antonio Conte's men, who remain fourth in the table.

Cesar Azpilicueta claimed the assist after firing the ball into the box and finding his fellow countryman, who leaped higher than his marker.

Alvaro Morata destroy Manchester United as The former Real Madrid striker broke the deadlock for the south-west London club with a spectacular header ten minutes after the break

The antipathy between Conte and Mourinho has been barely disguised, and the pair exchanged the most cursory of handshakes before kick-off.

And a measure of just how much this win meant to Conte in both a footballing and personal context could be seen in just how fired up he was throughout.

The Italian was lectured by referee Anthony Taylor for his touchline antics, was seen brandishing an imaginary yellow card, and was almost bursting out of his coat in celebration at the final whistle.

After striding on to the pitch at the full-time whistle to congratulate his players, he punched the air to all four sides of Stamford Bridge, then pumped his fist against his chest.

Conte's position at Chelsea has been the subject of much conjecture for most of this season, and he was clearly hurt by the manner of his side's Champions League defeat by Roma in midweek, but he got an instant response against United and his old adversary Mourinho.

Chelsea's win will hardly have leaders Manchester City breaking into a cold sweat, but this was a victory Conte desperately needed.

Asked about the lack of a handshake with Mourinho at the end of the game, he told Sky Sports: "It's not important. It's important to win the game.

"You have to have the respect on the pitch not outside the pitch."

Morata and Romelu Lukaku were central figures in a summer of transfer speculation as both Chelsea and United moved to strengthen their attacking resources with marquee signings.

United felt they had pulled off a coup in signing Lukaku from Everton in a £90m deal after supposedly long-standing interest from his former club Chelsea, while Conte insisted he had got the man he wanted all along when he completed a £65m move for Morata.

There was only one winner here as Morata's movement, desire and match-winning goal meant he totally outshone the Belgian.

Lukaku has not scored in his past seven games and struggled to make any sort of impact as United slumped to a disappointing defeat.

Morata, in contrast, led Chelsea's line with pace and energy and made the game's decisive contribution with a towering header after being given far too much space by the United defence.

This was another disappointing return to Stamford Bridge for Mourinho, who lost 4-0 against his former club in the Premier League last season and was also on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat in an FA Cup quarter-final.

And, while it would be harsh to accuse Mourinho of parking the bus, it was yet another cautious performance from United until they went behind to that magnificent header from Morata.

Mourinho will have every right to question how Morata could find so much space around Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones - but ultimately United left their push too late.

Fellaini was thrown on to add his usual mix of physicality and nuisance value, almost scoring with a scrambled shot that Courtois pushed away, while Rashford was narrowly off target with a snapshot and a free-kick.

But, yet again, there remains the lingering feeling United could have secured a more satisfactory result by adopting a bolder strategy - and this loss means Manchester City are now threatening to disappear into the distance.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte on Sky Sports: "It's an important victory. When you play against Manchester United it's always a massive game. We know very well this team is very strong. This type of win is important for our confidence. We showed great desire and passion to win this kind of game.

"We can win or lose but our spirit must be this. Last season our spirit was in every game - we started this season with a lot of problems. We were up and down. This game showed if we want, we can."

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho: "It was an even match. Both teams could win. The first to score would be in more defensive control and to win the match.

"The first half was really even. In the second half in the only period where they were on top of the game, they scored.

"It frustrates us to concede a goal in this situation. We lost ourselves after the goal emotionally. We found again the balance and desire in the last 15 to 20 minutes. It was all us.

Alvaro Morata scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The former Real Madrid striker broke the deadlock for the south-west London club with a spectacular header ten minutes after the break.

The goal was Morata's first in seven games, and was enough to secure all three points for Antonio Conte's men, who remain fourth in the table.

Cesar Azpilicueta claimed the assist after firing the ball into the box and finding his fellow countryman, who leaped higher than his marker.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho wants a £3m-a-year pay rise on his current deal at the club or he will rejoin his former team [Chelsea] as Conte successor.

Mourinho believes that he deserves a rise on his £12million-a-year salary and his agent Jorge Mendes has New Year talks planned with executive vice chairman Ed Woodward.

The United boss has landed three trophies in his first season in charge at Old Trafford and has got the club back into the money-spinning Champions League.

Having won the Europa League (right), the League Cup and Community Shield in his first year at United, Mourinho has overseen a strong start to the current campaign.

Second-placed United sit five points behind leaders Manchester City in the Premier League and are almost certain of a place in the Champions League knock-out phase after four straight group stage wins.

That means another bumper windfall for the club – and Mourinho wants his slice

By winning the Europa League in May to qualify for the Champions League, the Portuguese coach made sure United hit their performance targets with lead sponsors Adidas and Chevrolet.

Mourinho has seen at close quarters the full extent of United’s money-making machine and knows he contributed to the bulging bank balance with his trophy haul.

In September the club announced record revenues during Mourinho’s debut season at the club with a staggering turnover of £581.2million and an operating profit of £80.8m.

Antonio Conte will be sack if he lose to Manchester United on sunday

But Conte has contradicted that claim and says he met, and spoke with, Abramovich last weekend, with the club’s recent matches the topic of conversation, not his job security. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester United, Conte explained: ‘Yes, Mr Abramovich was in Cobham on Sunday after the Bournemouth game to watch the training, to speak. But this is normal.

Asked about what they spoke about, Conte continued: ‘Honestly we spoke about the Bournemouth game and the first game against Roma. We spoke about this.’ The report in Marca claimed all communications between manager and owner were going through Marina Granovskaia, a director who plays a large part in the team’s transfer business.

Relations strained after Conte’s mishandling of the Diego Costa situation, with Marca even suggesting the hunt has already begun for Conte’s successors. Conte and his Chelsea team will have an opportunity to change the narrative surrounding the club when Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge, with a win taking them just a point behind the Red Devils.

BREAKING NEWS!!! Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has already decided to sack manager Antonio Conte.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has already decided to sack manager Antonio Conte.

Chelsea have entered into a state of panic and are already looking for a new coach for next season given that Antonio Conte's relationship with club bosses has deteriorated and poor results, like the defeat to Roma, aren't helping.

It now seems unlikely that Conte will continue as Chelsea coach next season. Despite being reigning champions of the Premier League, conflicts with players and disappointing results on the field are having an impact. In addition, the row with Diego Costa did not help.

Roman Abramovich has already decided to sack the Italian. Having focused on winning the one title that evaded him for many years, he finally won the Champions League under Roberto di Matteo, who was sacked months later. The Russian is not patient if coaches upset him.