Former Brazil international footballer Robinho has been arrested to commence serving a nine-year prison sentence for rape.
Two years ago in Italy, he was convicted for his involvement in the gang rape of an Albanian woman at a nightclub in Milan in 2013.
The 40-year-old Robinho was apprehended at his residence in his hometown of Santos.
The Italian government had sought his extradition but, failing to secure it, requested that he serve his sentence in Brazil.
A Brazilian court upheld this decision on Wednesday, also ruling that he must serve his sentence in prison rather than under house arrest.
On Thursday, a Supreme Court judge dismissed a request to suspend his detention.
Brazil’s justice system’s decisive action has received praise from local media, who expressed concerns that Robinho, due to his fame and wealth, might evade justice.