A Brazilian football match turned into spectacular scenes of violence after a major brawl involving players and officials saw the referee brandish 51 red cards, setting a new world record for dismissals in a football match.
The episode took place during the first leg of the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship semi-final between Uberlândia and Mamoré on Sunday November 1, 2026.
Mamoré were leading 3-1 when the action was halted for nearly 40 minutes because of fighting between players, coaching staff and those around the pitch.
Tensions reportedly boiled out early in the second half when Uberlândia’s Luike Bispo dos Santos was red-carded for punching an opponent.
It is said that the scene escalated when the home side officials invaded the pitch to confront referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto over the verdict.
Play eventually resumed, but another fight broke out in stoppage time after Mamoré’s Davi Fernandes Bittencourt scored his team’s third goal and allegedly mocked the opposition bench during his celebration.
Uberlandia’s custodian coach Paulo Sergio Dias dos Santos reportedly stormed onto the pitch to confront the goalscorer, sparking a major brawl that escalated swiftly across the playing area.
Footage of the event shows players and officials trading blows and it is believed chairs, stretchers and other things were hurled during the confrontation. Six ball boys were also claimed to have been involved in the disorder.
The referee then ejected 43 players and eight members of the teams’ technical staff, taking the reported total of red cards to 51.
But a subsequent Reuters article said the total number of dismissals was 53 including two board members from Uberlândia.
“The magnitude of the confrontation made it impossible to complete normal disciplinary and match-closing procedures,” Modesto noted in his match report.
He said he was threatened after the incident and filed a police report. Local media also said that military police were called when substantial damage was found inside the Parque do Sabiá Stadium, including shattered doors, windows and damaged amenities.
The event broke the previous Guinness World Records record of 36 red cards, set in a fifth division Argentinean match between Atlético Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in February 2011.
Uberlândia said afterward that they would forfeit the second leg of the semi-final, on the grounds of fair play, because Mamoré had been left with too few eligible players after the mass dismissals.
Mamoré was allowed to go to the final of the competition, although Uberlândia declared it had taken internal disciplinary action against individuals responsible.
What should have been a competitive youth football match has become one of the most bizarre disciplinary situations in the history of football.
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