This has never happened before! Football introduces a punishment tied to opponent's recovery
Victor Gabriel now has to keep an eye not just on the match schedule, but also on medical reports coming out of Cruzeiro.
Details: The Superior Court of Sports Justice in Brazil has handed down an unprecedented verdict regarding Internacional defender Victor Gabriel. The player will remain suspended until Cruzeiro forward Gabriel Pec is cleared by doctors to return to training. The maximum ban is set at 180 days.
The incident occurred on July 22 during a Brazilian Serie A match. Victor Gabriel made a reckless challenge that left Gabriel Pec with a fractured left tibia. The defender was immediately shown a red card, and the injured forward later required surgery.
The judges concluded that the standard suspension of one to six matches, as stipulated by the regulations, was insufficient given the severity of the injury. As a result, they decided to tie the offender's return to the pitch to the recovery of the injured opponent.
During the hearing, Victor Gabriel apologized to Pec and stated that he did not intend to cause harm. The court's decision can still be appealed.
Remarkably, that fateful match was Gabriel Pec's first start for Cruzeiro since his summer move from LA Galaxy.
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Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
