The teams were supposed to play the return leg in Santos on Wednesday but the match was postponed so the disciplinary commission of the Superior Court of Sporting Justice (STJD) could rule on the case.
“By a unanimous verdict (the decision was taken) to exclude Gremio from the Brazil Cup and to fine them 50,000 reais and ban from stadiums for 720 days those fans already identified and those that may still be identified,” of racist offences, the court’s statement said.
The court also banned the match referee for 90 days and fined him 1,600 reais for not taking the correct action and for not properly reporting the incident in his match report. His assistants were banned for 60 days and fined 1,000 reais.
The penalty the five-member commission meted out against the Porto Alegre club was the toughest ever against a Brazilian side whose fans were accused of racism.
Gremio were expected to appeal to the full nine-member STJD and the appeal would be heard within two weeks, Amorim added.
The club, which has not yet commented on the ban, launched an anti-racism campaign last week entitled "Enough."
(1 US dollar = 2.2367 Brazilian real)
(Editing by Rex Gowar/Ian Ransom)
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