Marcelo was severely punished after breaking his opponent's leg

In addition to the suspension, the former Real Madrid player must also pay a fine of $ 6,000.

In the 56th minute of Fluminense's match against Argentinos Juniors in the first leg of the 1/8 round of the Copa Libertadores in Buenos Aires on August 1, Marcelo passed the ball beyond Sanchez's reach. But his left foot stepped on defender Argentinos. Sanchez's left leg immediately broke, causing him to scream in pain. Marcelo also actively stopped the ball right after this error. When he saw the opponent's leg broken, Marcelo burst into tears and received a red card directly.

Subsequent images show that doctors used 20 nails to reconstruct Sanchez's knee. According to local media, defender Argentinos Juniors needs 12 to 18 months to recover from this injury.

Marcelo also sent a message to Sanchez on social media. He wrote: "I lived through a very difficult moment on the pitch today when I accidentally injured a colleague. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Luciano Sanchez."

In response, the Argentinos Juniors club thanked Fluminense and Marcelo with the status line: "We are rivals, not enemies".

In a press conference, Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz said that Marcelo did not deserve a red card and said the incident was just unfortunate. "I'll make a metaphor," he added. "For me, it's like when someone is driving on the road, they run the green light and it's the driver's fault. Marcelo is dribbling and has no place to put his foot. For me, Marcelo getting sent off. It's completely absurd, it's crazy. What is Marcelo supposed to do in that situation?".

Despite the lack of players near the second half, Fluminense still held the host Argentinos Juniors 1-1. In the second leg at the Maracana Stadium, Fluminense won 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals - where they will face Paraguay's club, Olimpia.

Marcelo played for Fluminense from 2005-2007 and then joined Real in January 2007. At the Bernabeu in the period 2007-2022, the Brazilian defender scored 38 goals in 546 matches, winning 25 titles including: six La Liga, two King's Cups, five Spanish Super Cups, five Champions Leagues, three European Super Cups and four FIFA Club World Cups. He played one season for Olympiacos and then returned to Fluminense from February 2023.