While the court's suspension is capped at 180 days, it could end sooner if Pec is medically cleared to return to practice ahead of that time.
Pec suffered a left tibia fracture in a challenge from Víctor Gabriel in a league game on July 22. The Internacional man, 22, left Cruzeiro winger Gabriel Pec with a fractured left tibia followed his horror studs-up tackle last week. The injury required surgery. Pec, who moved to Cruzeiro from Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy this month, was making his debut in the match eventually won 2-1 by the visiting Cruzeiro.
The referee initially played the advantage before giving the substitute his marching orders.
However, court president Jorge Octavio Lavocat Galvão along with Eduardo Xible Salles Ramos and Aline Gonçalves Jatahy voted to enforce the lengthier penalty. One of the adjudicators, Rodrigo Steinmann Bayer, initially voted for a standard six-match suspension without the time-based extension. On Tuesday, Brazil's Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) determined that a standard penalty for Victor Gabriel was insufficient in light of the severity of the incident. "The offender may remain suspended until the injured party is able to return to training, respecting a maximum period of 180 days," it said, adding that the decision could be appealed.
Gabriel showed remorse while appearing at the hearing and insisted the X-rated tackle was an accident. He said: “It was a completely unfortunate incident. I apologised to him and offered my help. “I asked him to forgive me for not having had any ill intent and all I could do at that moment was pray for him. “I’ve had sleepless nights praying for him, and I offer a heartfelt apology to everyone at Cruzeiro.” Víctor Gabriel told the court he had no intention of causing injury to Pec, who played for LA Galaxy in the MLS before joining Cruzeiro for a club-record fee of at least $12 million during the World Cup break. "I've had sleepless nights praying for him, and I offer a heartfelt apology to everyone at Cruzeiro," he said.