July 29 (Reuters) - Internacional defender Victor Gabriel has been handed an unusual suspension after seriously injuring Cruzeiro forward Gabriel Pec, a Brazilian court said on Tuesday, with the ban lasting a maximum of six months or as long as it takes Pec to recover.
During a Serie A match between the sides on July 22, Victor Gabriel was sent off after committing a rash challenge that led to a fracture of Pec's left tibia.
Pec, who moved to Cruzeiro from Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy this month, was making his debut in the match eventually won by Cruzeiro.
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.
In an appearance during proceedings, Victor Gabriel expressed remorse, adding:"It was a completely unfortunate incident.
"I apologized 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."
The court also questioned the authenticity of the evidence provided by Internacional, which contained audio from the match's VAR, with the club's defense then asking for it to be disregarded as its veracity could not be proved.
In a statement on their website, Internacional said the law firm representing them had used an audio recording circulating on social media in its defense.
"Both the law firm and Internacional emphasize that they never intended to act in bad faith in any way within the context of the proceedings in question," the club added.
"There was, however, a recognized error in the collection and use of the content presented in the player's defense, which was immediately acknowledged through an express request to remove the audio from the case file."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Mumbai; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
