In a unanimous decision, the STJD ( Superior Court of Sports Justice) has decided to ban midfielder Marcos Vinicius Alves Barreira, known as Romário, from football.
The former Vila Nova player is named as a suspect in the first action of Operation Maximum Penalty, by the MP-GO (General Prosecution Service of Goiás), which investigates match-fixing schemes in Brazilian football.
The 21-year-old athlete will also have to pay a fine of R$ 25,000. The trial, which was conducted by the 1st Disciplinary Commission of the court, had Miguel Ângelo Cançado as auditor-rapporteur.
Tried in the same case, Gabriel Domingos, 22, also a former midfielder for Vila Nova, was suspended for 720 days and fined R$15,000. Both players had their contracts broken by the club from Goiás.
The two athletes can appeal the decision after the posting of the ruling. According to Cançado, both the sporting punishments, and the financial penalties imposed by the STJD ( Superior Court of Sports Justice) are mandatory after becoming final.
Translated by Cassy Dias