Brazil soccer match sets red-card record after brawl
A mass brawl in the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship produced 53 red cards, according to the referee’s report cited by ESPN. The incident followed Mamoré’s…
Brazil soccer match sets a world record with 53 red cards after a brawl in the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship, and Uberlândia’s withdrawal has sent Mamoré through to the final. The match’s violence also left damage at Estádio Parque do Sabiá and prompted a call to military police.
The semifinal first leg took place on Sunday. Mamoré had gone 3-1 ahead when a confrontation broke out between players and staff, turning the game into a mass dismissal by referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto.
It was a chaotic end.
How did the Brazil soccer match reach 53 red cards?
ESPN reported that 40 players and eight staff members were sent off during the brawl, while three players had already received red cards earlier. Two Uberlândia board members were also dismissed, bringing the total to 53.
The referee’s report said the fight began after Mamoré player Davi taunted the opposing bench while celebrating his side’s third goal. Uberlândia goalkeeping coach Paulo Sérgio Dias Dos Santos ran onto the pitch to confront him, and clashes followed.
The match was halted for about 40 minutes before the referee abandoned it. The dispute then extended beyond the pitch: ESPN reported allegations that Uberlândia officials damaged Mamoré equipment and that Mamoré team members vandalised the home dressing room.
What does the record mean for the competition?
Uberlândia announced it would withdraw from the competition in what it called a “gesture of fair play.” The decision allows Mamoré to advance to the final, while Uberlândia will focus on the third-place match.
That choice changes the sporting outcome of a semifinal defined by disciplinary action rather than play. Mamoré advances despite having only seven players available for the second leg as a result of the red cards, the BBC reported.
The damage at Estádio Parque do Sabiá brought another consequence. Military police were called, and the incident left the stadium and match officials at the center of a wider dispute between the teams.
The reported total exceeds the previous record of 36 red cards, set during an Argentinian fifth-division match between Atlético Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in 2011. ESPN said the referee also alleged that individuals made death threats and other threats of violence against him, with a police report filed over those threats.
Uberlândia’s withdrawal means Mamoré advances to the final.
