Brazilian Referee Issues 51 Red Cards After Mass Brawl in Under-20 Match

A Brazilian football match descended into extraordinary scenes of violence after a mass brawl between players and officials prompted the referee to issue 51 red cards, setting a new world record for dismissals in a football match.

The incident occurred during the first leg of the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship semi-final between Uberlândia and Mamoré on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

The match, which Mamoré was leading 3-1, was suspended for approximately 40 minutes after violence erupted involving players, coaching staff and other individuals around the pitch.

According to reports, tensions initially escalated early in the second half after an Uberlândia player, Luike Bispo dos Santos, was sent off for striking an opponent.

The situation reportedly worsened when officials from the home side entered the pitch to confront referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto over the decision.

Although play eventually resumed, another confrontation broke out during stoppage time after Mamoré’s Davi Fernandes Bittencourt scored his team’s third goal and allegedly taunted the opposing bench during his celebration.

Uberlândia’s goalkeeping coach, Paulo Sérgio Dias dos Santos, reportedly ran onto the pitch and confronted the goalscorer, triggering a mass fight that quickly spread across the playing area.

Footage of the incident showed players and officials exchanging blows, with chairs, stretchers and other objects reportedly thrown during the confrontation. Six ball boys were also said to have become involved in the disorder.

The referee subsequently dismissed 43 players and eight members of the teams’ technical staff, bringing the reported tally to 51 red cards.

However, a later Reuters report put the total number of dismissals at 53 after including two Uberlândia board members.

In his match report, Modesto said the scale of the confrontation made it impossible to complete the normal disciplinary and match-closing procedures.

He also reported receiving threats following the incident, prompting the filing of a police report. Local reports further indicated that military police were called after extensive damage was discovered at the Parque do Sabiá Stadium, including broken doors, windows and damaged facilities.

The incident surpassed the previous Guinness World Records benchmark of 36 red cards, recorded during a fifth-division Argentine match between Atlético Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in February 2011.

In the aftermath, Uberlândia announced that it would forfeit the second leg of the semi-final, citing fair play because Mamoré had been left with too few eligible players following the mass dismissals.

The decision allowed Mamoré to progress to the competition’s final, while Uberlândia said it had taken internal disciplinary measures against those involved.

What was expected to be a competitive youth football encounter has instead become one of the most extraordinary disciplinary incidents in the history of the sport.