SAO PAULO (AP) — Inter Porto Alegre defender Víctor Gabriel has been suspended from Brazilian soccer until Cruzeiro forward Gabriel Pec returns to training following recovery from a broken leg.
The sanction was handed down Tuesday by Brazil’s Superior Court of Sports Justice, the country’s highest independent body for sports discipline.
The court deemed a standard penalty insufficient given the severity of the incident. Pec suffered a left tibia fracture in a challenge from Víctor Gabriel in a league game on July 22.
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. The decision can be appealed.
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.
Víctor Gabriel was charged with violent play under Article 254 of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice, and received the extended penalty under a provision that allows an offender’s suspension to match the injured player’s recovery time in cases of severe injury.
The ruling was not unanimous. One of the adjudicators, Rodrigo Steinmann Bayer, initially voted for a standard six-match suspension without the time-based extension.
However, court president Jorge Octavio Lavocat Galvão along with Eduardo Xible Salles Ramos and Aline Gonçalves Jatahy voted to enforce the lengthier penalty.
FILE - LA Galaxy forward Gabriel Pec moves the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 13 people and left many missing in southwestern Japan.
Bullet train services and some airport operations remained suspended and damage was still being assessed a day after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu.
“There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it’s a race against time,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can.”
About 36,900 homes were still without electricity, 9,500 homes were without gas and communication networks were not working in some areas, chief government spokesman Minoru Kihara told reporters.
More than 9,000 people left their homes to stay in more than 500 shelters, and he said power sources were being added so the evacuation centers had air conditioning. Japan has had an ongoing heat wave, and temperatures in the area were forecast to exceed 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).
Japan's Self Defense Forces joined rescue workers in the search and rescue operations at the badly damaged Aeon Mall in the town of Kashima. The building's second floor collapsed, trapping people, after an explosion suspected to have been caused by a gas leak. The number of people who still may be trapped was not available.
A chimney collapsed at the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, trapping people under the debris, the Kumamoto emergency team said. As of Wednesday, seven people were feared still trapped. Two survivors and two bodies were removed, officials said.
Takaichi said the federal government was preparing to deliver food and other necessities to hard-hit areas. She also offered her condolences to the victims and sympathy to their relatives, while urging those affected by the quake to take care of themselves under the hot weather.
The Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train remained suspended Wednesday. Aso Kumamoto Airport was resuming operations after closing one runway Tuesday, but officials said some flights may be canceled.
Stone walls were damaged at Kumamoto Castle, a main tourist destination that was badly damaged in the 2016 quake and is still being repaired, Kyodo News reported.
“The shaking reminded me of the Kumamoto quake (10 years ago) and I was frightened,” said Hiroki Shimoda, an official at Mifune town hall, who saw roof tiles of nearby homes crash to the ground. Kumamoto was hit with a deadly quake in 2016 that killed at least 50 people.
Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.
This aerial image shows a crack on the ground, a day after an earthquake, in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (Naoki Hiraoka/Kyodo News via AP)
People stand by the fallen torii gate near a shrine, a day after an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026.(Yu Nakajima/Kyodo News via AP)
AEON Mall, which was damaged by an explosion following an earthquake, is seen in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
This aerial image shows a damaged chimney of the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (Naoki Hiraoka/Kyodo News via AP)
A collapsed bridge is seen following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (Juntaro Yokoyama/Kyodo News via AP)
The roof and wall of a building are seen fallen, a day after an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026.(Yu Nakajima/Kyodo News via AP)
A visitor looks at the fallen roofs of the Yatsuhiro Shrine, a day after an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026.(Juntaro Yokoyama/Kyodo News via AP)
AEON Mall, which was destroyed by an explosion following an earthquake, is seen in Kashima, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, July 28, 2026.(Kotaro Ueda/Kyodo News via AP)
People walk a dog past a building collapsed by an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026.(Juntaro Yokoyama/Kyodo News via AP)
This aerial image shows AEON Mall, which was destroyed by an explosion following an earthquake, in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (Naoki Hiraoka/Kyodo News via AP)
A vehicle passes by collapsed houses after an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, Wednesday, July 29, 2026.(Juntaro Yokoyama/Kyodo News via AP)
