UBERLANDIA, Brazil: Brazilian football witnessed an extraordinary and chaotic episode after a staggering 53 red cards were issued during an Under-20 championship match, setting a new world record for the most dismissals in a single football game.
🇧🇷 Brazil football match sets Guinness record with 51 red cards
The referee sent off 43 players and 8 coaches.
Players used chairs and stretchers and attacked those already on the ground. Six ball boys reportedly joined the fight. Only the police managed to separate them.
The brawl erupted in the second half of the Minas Gerais U20 state championship game between Uberlândia and Mamoré and lasted nearly 40 minutes.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 4, 2026
The semi-final first leg of the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship between Uberlandia and Mamore descended into a massive on-field brawl, resulting in 43 players, eight members of the coaching staff and two Uberlandia club officials being sent off.
The unprecedented tally surpassed the previous record of 36 red cards, issued during a fifth-division Argentine encounter between Club Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in 2011.
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Goal celebration sparks massive on-field brawl
According to Brazilian media outlet O Tempo, the violence erupted during the second half after Mamore’s Davi allegedly taunted the opposition bench while celebrating his team’s third goal in a 3-1 lead.
Uberlandia goalkeeping coach Paulo Sergio Dias Dos Santos reportedly rushed onto the pitch to confront the player, triggering a massive confrontation involving players and coaching staff from both sides.
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Three players had already been sent off earlier in the match before the incident escalated into a full-scale brawl.
The situation became so chaotic that referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto was unable to complete the disciplinary formalities immediately.
An under-20 semifinal in Brazil descended into complete chaos after a late goal celebration sparked a massive standoff between Uberlandia and Mamore. https://t.co/xJ6SuTmTk3
— Viral Relay (@DiamondFeedX) November 5, 2026
Police called as stadium suffers extensive damage
The violence extended beyond the playing field, leaving significant damage inside Parque do Sabia Stadium and prompting the involvement of military police.
According to the police report, the stadium suffered extensive destruction, including:
- 14 broken doors.
- Damaged shower facilities.
- Broken windows.
- Destroyed benches, tables and chairs.
The match was halted for approximately 40 minutes before referee Modesto eventually abandoned the contest, citing security concerns and the inability to restore order.
“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,” the referee wrote in his report.
“Therefore, owing to all the turmoil and the lack of security, I declared the match ended.”
Referee shows 53 red cards during a football match in Brazil
The reason was a mass brawl on the field between the teams “Uberlandia” and “Mamore,” which was triggered by one of the players using obscene gestures and insulting the opposing players.
Don’t show this to Trump. https://t.co/zt4dVPVI01
— Sprinter Report (@SprinterReport) November 5, 2026
Uberlandia concedes semi-final return leg
In an unexpected development, Uberlandia subsequently announced that it would concede the second leg of the semi-final, allowing Mamore to advance to the final.
The decision came after the mass dismissals left Mamore with only seven players available for the return fixture.
Uberlandia described its decision as a “gesture of fair play”, adding that the club would instead concentrate on the third-place playoff.
🟥 53 kişi kırmızı kart gördü.
Kavga 1 saate yakın sürdü.• Brezilya’da U20 yarı final maçındaki kavgaya oyuncular, teknik ekip ve yöneticiler karıştı.
• Maçın uzatma dakikalarında başlayan kavgada hakem 43 futbolcu, 8 teknik personel ve 2 yöneticiye kırmızı kart gösterdi. https://t.co/sgS5tzOoGK
— Kaptan Paolo Maldini (@KaptanMaldini33) November 5, 2026
“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,” the club said in an official statement.
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The extraordinary encounter has become an unprecedented episode in football history, raising fresh questions about player discipline, match security and the responsibility of clubs and officials to prevent violence in the game.
