The Brazilian forward Gabriel Barbosa 'Gabigol' was sanctioned this Monday with a two-year suspension for obstructing an anti-doping control on April 8, 2023, at Flamengo's training center, as reported by the Rio de Janeiro club.

The ruling, which can be appealed, comes from the Brazilian Anti-Doping Sports Justice, which classified the 27-year-old player "for attempting fraud in any part of the process" of a test.

The suspension period started on April 8, 2023, meaning Gabigol won't be able to play until "April 2025," thus missing the entire 2024 season and the preseason of the following one.

Flamengo stated in a note that it "became aware" of the trial's outcome, which by 5 votes in favor and 4 against, chose to punish the former Benfica and Inter Milan player.

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The Rio club stated that it "received the ruling with surprise" and will "assist" its player when he appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport since it understands that "there was no fraud, nor attempted fraud, justifying the applied sanction."

'Gabigol' faced a total of four years of suspension, accused of violating the Brazilian Anti-Doping Code for "fraud or attempted fraud in any part of the control process."

According to the complaint from the Sports Justice Prosecutor's Office, the striker did not respect the protocols for the test and even disrespected the agents in charge of collecting the players' samples at Flamengo that day.

The Brazilian international refused to undergo the examination before training, as established by the regulations, went to lunch, and only later agreed to undergo the urine analysis, which he also irregularly provided, according to the complaint.

The episode occurred one day before the return leg of the 2023 Carioca Championship final, which Fluminense won 4-1 against their arch-rival, at the start of last season.

Although the test result was negative, the Anti-Doping Justice has considered the player's behavior, trained at Santos, as an attempted fraud.

The sentence comes on the eve of Flamengo, led by former Brazilian national team coach Tite, playing the Carioca Championship final against the modest Nova Iguaçu. The first leg will be next Saturday, and the return is scheduled for April 7.