A violent brawl during a football match in Brazil led to 51 red cards being issued, setting a new world record. The altercation, which took place in the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship, involved teams Uberlandia and Mamore and lasted almost 40 minutes.
In total, 43 players and eight members of staff were sent off, with 48 of those red cards coming during the game-ending mass brawl. The match had already been tense before the violence erupted.
Early Tensions and Sendings-Off
Uberlandia's Luike was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for striking his opponent in the abdomen, while Mamore's Joao Henrique picked up a second yellow card for insulting the referee. Netinho, from Uberlandia, was then shown a straight red card after punching the Mamore goalkeeper in the abdomen.
Tempers boiled over in second-half stoppage time when Mamore scored to secure a 3-1 victory. During their celebrations, Davi made provocative and inflammatory gestures towards the Uberlandia bench, shouting: "This is Mamore, go f*** yourself! Suck it! Go f*** yourself!"
Record-Breaking Brawl
The resulting commotion saw punches thrown as stretchers and chairs were brought into the melee. Mamore ultimately saw 29 people sent off and Uberlandia 22, smashing the previous Guinness Book of Records mark of 36 red cards in a game between Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in the fifth division of Argentine football.
Referee Fernando Patrick even filed a police report following the game, and military police were required to intervene. However, Patrick's complaint came from an incident that occurred before the brawl, as he claimed Willer Francisco Silva, manager of Uberlandia, threatened him.
Referee's Report and Alleged Threats
The official's report noted that the pitch was invaded eight minutes into the second half, with insults and threats hurled. Willer, alongside youth football manager Andre Luiz Nascimento and youth coordinator Junior Caetano, stormed the field. It is claimed that they said: "You're not leaving here today. You think you can get out of town? We're going to get you, you came here to screw us over!"
Willer reportedly added: "I'm going to punch you. You're not leaving here. I want to see if you'll leave with an escort. Come at me, I'll get you outside, it'll just be you and me, you son of a b***h, I want to kill you, you piece of s***."
Fabio Mineiro is said to have told Patrick: "You will never referee again. I will do everything I can to ensure you don't work anymore. I can stop, but you will stop too." The referee also noted that Uberlandia's football director, Bernardo Lage, reported that Mamore's dressing room was vandalised.
