Top-flight Gremio were thrown out of Brazil's main cup competition Wednesday in an unprecedented punishment for a club in the football-mad country after a visiting goalkeeper was subjected to sustained racial abuse.
Brazil's sports justice tribunal also fined Gremio 50,000 reais ($20,000) after a group of fans of the club from the southern city of Porto Alegre chanted insults and made monkey noises at Santos goalkeeper Aranha during a cup clash on August 28.
Gremio had condemned the fans involved and launched an anti-racism campaign, with the players taking to the field in their last league game holding a banner urging supporters to "say no to racism."
But it is the second racist incident this year involving Gremio, the first earning the club a fine of $35,000.
Separately, one young female supporter clearly seen yelling "macaco" (monkey) at shot-stopper Aranha was suspended from her job and her behavior sparked a storm of outrage on social media.
A spokesman told AFP the tribunal's five judges unanimously made the decision to turf out Gremio, which club chairman Fabio Koff has appealed on behalf of the four-time cup winners, who are now coached by former Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.
There were also stiff penalties for the officials of the game, which Santos won 2-0.
Match referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio, who indicated afterwards he had not heard the abuse and only mentioned it in his match report after the media drew his attention to it, was suspended for 90 days.
His assistants were handed 60-day suspensions.
