Sao Caetano have been landed with a 24-point deduction after defender Serginho collapsed and died during a match against Sao Paulo.
The 30-year-old had been diagnosed as having a mild arrhythmia in pre-season, but the club deny that their tests showed that the player was at risk.
A tribunal decided on the punishment, and also banned club doctor Paulo Forte for four years and club president Nairo Ferreira for two years.
Sao Caetano will drop from fourth in the Brazilian championship to 14th with two games left to play – and will miss out on the chance to qualify for the South American Libertadores Cup.
