53 red cards shown after Brazilian under-20 match brawl
A semi-final between Uberlandia and Mamore in Brazil’s Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship ended in a mass brawl, with 53 red cards shown to players, coaches…
Uberlandia conceded the second leg of its Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship semi-final after a brawl against Mamore left the opposition with only seven available players and 53 red cards shown in the tie in Brazil. The first leg was abandoned by referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto after clashes broke out during the second half.
The mass dismissals changed the route to the final. Uberlandia said it would give up the second leg as a “gesture of fair play”; Mamore would advance, while Uberlandia turned its attention to the third-place match.
There were 53 dismissals in all. A chaotic end.
How did 53 red cards shown in the match?
Three players had already been sent off before a wider fight erupted, according to the referee’s report. The spark came after Mamore went 3-1 ahead: Davi taunted the Uberlandia bench while celebrating, and Uberlandia goalkeeping coach Paulo Sergio Dias Dos Santos ran onto the pitch to confront him.
Players and coaching staff then became involved in the clashes. The final tally included 43 players, eight coaching staff members and two Uberlandia board members.
The game stopped for approximately 40 minutes before Modesto abandoned it. In his report, he said the brawl made it impossible to issue the red cards and complete the match-closing protocol.
“Therefore, owing to all the turmoil and the lack of security, I declared the match ended,” Modesto wrote.
What did the dismissals mean for the semi-final?
Mamore had only seven players available for the return leg because of the red cards. Uberlandia then confirmed it would concede that match, allowing Mamore to progress to the final.
The decision left Uberlandia with a third-place match instead of another semi-final fixture. The club said it had also taken internal disciplinary measures against those involved, linking athletic development with personal development.
The consequences extended beyond the competition. A police report referenced 14 broken doors, damaged shower facilities, broken windows and benches, tables and chairs that had been destroyed at Parque do Sabia Stadium.
The 53 dismissals set a world record, surpassing the previous mark of 36 red cards in a 2011 fifth-division match between Club Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in Argentina.
