Brazil : A Brazilian under-20 football match descended into chaos after a mass brawl prompted the referee to issue a record 53 red cards during a state championship semi-final between Uberlandia and Mamore in Minas Gerais on Sunday.
In his match report, referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto said the trouble began early in the second half when several Uberlandia officials entered the pitch after one of their players was sent off.
The match was suspended for 40 minutes before play resumed, with Mamore scoring in the ninth minute of stoppage time to take a 3-1 lead.
According to Brazilian media reports, Mamore player Davi taunted Uberlandia opponents during the celebrations, triggering a mass confrontation that resulted in a flurry of dismissals.
A total of 43 players and eight members of the coaching staff were sent off, while two Uberlandia board members were also dismissed, taking the total to 53.
“In the 54th minute of the second half, a generalized brawl broke out, making it impossible to show the red cards and to carry out the match-closing protocol,” Drosghic Modesto wrote in his report.
“Therefore, owing to all the turmoil and the lack of security, I declared the match ended.”
The referee added that a police report had been filed over threats made against him and that Mamore’s team had vandalised the dressing room after the match.
The previous record for the most red cards shown in a football match was 36, during a fifth-division game in Argentina between Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in February 2011, according to Guinness World Records.
Uberlandia said on Wednesday it would forfeit the second leg of the semi-final in what it described as a “gesture of fair play”, as Mamore did not have enough eligible players to field a team.
The decision handed Mamore a place in the tournament final.
“The club has also not remained silent: the appropriate disciplinary measures regarding those involved have already been taken internally, because athletic development is, above all, a matter of personal development,” Uberlandia said.
