The Brazilian defender has been suspended for six months following a dangerous tackle.

The Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), Brazil's supreme sports tribunal, has decided to impose an exceptional suspension on 22-year-old defender Victor Gabriel of Internacional Porto Alegre following his expulsion during a Serie A match last week. The player was sanctioned for a tackle that resulted in a fractured tibia for Gabriel Pec, a former Los Angeles Galaxy player and new signing for Belo Horizonte club Cruzeiro. Pec underwent surgery immediately after his first match in his new colors, just a month after arriving from the United States. The severity of Pec's injury will directly impact the duration of Gabriel's suspension.

The STJD justified its decision by describing the tackle as "disproportionate and reckless," resulting in a six-month suspension. This measure is based on the Brazilian Sports Justice Code (CBJD), which provides for extended bans for "serious violence" in competition. These suspensions can go up to 180 days, or six months, and are conditional on the victim's resumption of training. Victor Gabriel appeared before the STJD committee to respond to the charges against him. According to reports by The Athletic, he expressed his regrets and apologized to Gabriel Pec, while asserting that he never intended to harm him. The player's defense was weakened by the presentation, and subsequent withdrawal, of an audio recording from the VAR during the hearing. The lawyers for Internacional and Gabriel admitted to using an unreliable source from social media before withdrawing this evidence. The defender delivered his version of events categorically. He acknowledged the danger of the tackle but firmly denied any intent to injure his opponent. "I felt like I was reaching the ball first, and that's what happened," he stated, according to The Athletic. "The pitch was slippery and wet. I struck the ball, and then I didn’t have time to pull my leg back. The tackle was harder than expected, but without any intention to harm my colleague or hurt him." Victor Gabriel, signed by Internacional in 2024 on loan before being permanently transferred in January 2025, plays as a center-back. Since his arrival, he has featured in 22 matches in the Serie A and regional championship, with little success as his team is currently on a four-match losing streak in the league. The suspension announced this Friday against Athletico Paranaense marks the player’s third exclusion of the season, meaning he missed his team’s first match under the new sanction. The Porto Alegre club, already facing sporting difficulties, is now deprived of a key player for the coming months. The STJD’s decision, unprecedented in its severity, raises questions about the balance between player protection and the proportionality of sanctions in Brazilian football, where extended bans remain rare.