Brazilian football's Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) has issued a ban that could keep Internacional defender Victor Gabriel sidelined for up to six months — a ruling described as unprecedented in the sport's domestic history.

The 22-year-old central defender received a red card in a Brazilian Serie A fixture against Cruzeiro last week. During the match, his tackle fractured the tibia of Gabriel Pec, who had only recently joined Cruzeiro from Los Angeles Galaxy and was making his debut for the Belo Horizonte club at the time of the incident.

Surgery and a suspension tied to recovery

Pec underwent surgery after the injury, and the length of Gabriel's ban is directly linked to Pec's recovery timeline. Under the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice (CBJD), an athlete found guilty of serious violent play can be suspended until the injured player returns to training — a provision capped at 180 days.

The STJD applied that provision following a disciplinary hearing, labelling the tackle "disproportionate and reckless."

Gabriel attended the hearing and, according to The Athletic, expressed remorse for the incident and confirmed he had already apologised to Pec directly. He did not contest that the tackle was dangerous but firmly denied any intent to harm his opponent.

"I had the feeling that I would get to the ball first, and I did. Since the field was quite slippery and wet, I ended up hitting the ball and then I didn't have time to pull my leg back, and that's how this somewhat harder tackle happened, but without any intention of causing harm to my fellow professional or any malice," Gabriel testified, as reported by The Athletic.

VAR audio controversy at the hearing

The hearing was further complicated when the defence team representing Internacional and Gabriel submitted VAR audio recordings as evidence — only to withdraw the material after failing to verify its authenticity. The lawyers admitted the audio had been sourced from social media rather than official channels.

A difficult season for Internacional

Gabriel joined Internacional from Sport Recife on an initial loan deal in 2024 before making the transfer permanent in January. He has appeared in 22 league matches across Serie A and Internacional's regional championship campaign — which ended without a title.

This suspension is Gabriel's third of the current Serie A season. Internacional's first match without him, a Friday fixture against Athletico Paranaense, resulted in a fourth consecutive league defeat for the Porto Alegre club.