Serginho

Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian club Sao Caetano had 24 points deducted on Tuesday after defender Serginho collapsed on the field and died during a match against Sao Paulo in October.

Brazil?s Sports Disciplinary Tribunal also banned the club doctor Paulo Forte for 1,440 days and club president Nairo Ferreira for 720 days.

The four-man tribunal reached its verdict after an eight-hour hearing which ended in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Sao Caetano?s lawyer Joao Zanforlin told reporters that the club would appeal.

Police have launched a separate inquiry to determine whether the club knew that Serginho, whose full name was Paulo Sergio de Oliveira Lima, risked collapse.

The club have denied the allegations, saying that routine examinations at the start of the year showed the player had arrhythmia ?irregularity in the force or rhythm of the heartbeat ? but that further tests did not show any reason why he could not play.

The 30-year-old, who had been at the club since 1999, collapsed after suffering a cardio-respiratory arrest in the 59th minute of the Brazilian championship match at the Morumbi stadium and was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital. The game was suspended with the score at 0-0.

The remaining 31 minutes were played one week later when Sao Paulo won 4-2.

Sao Caetano are fourth in the Brazilian championship with 77 points from 44 games and two left to play.

The penalty will send them to 14th and will cost them a place in next year?s South American Libertadores Cup.

However, they are not in danger of being relegated.