51 red cards in Brazilian youth match as Uberlandia concede semi-final

A Brazilian under-20 football match produced 51 red cards after a second-half brawl, setting a record for the most dismissals in a game, BBC Sport reports. The semi-final between Uberlandia and Mamore was abandoned, and Uberlandia have conceded the return leg, allowing Mamore to reach the final.

The match, the first leg of the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship semi-final, was stopped for about 40 minutes before referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto abandoned it. Forty-three players and eight members of coaching staff were sent off; three players had already been dismissed before the mass confrontation.

According to the referee’s report, the brawl began after Mamore’s Davi taunted the opposing bench while celebrating his side’s 3-1 lead. Uberlandia goalkeeping coach Paulo Sergio Dias Dos Santos ran on to confront him, triggering clashes.

The previous record was 36 red cards, shown in a 2011 fifth-division match in Argentina between Club Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas.

A police report cited extensive damage at Parque do Sabia Stadium, including 14 broken doors, damaged shower facilities and broken windows. Brazilian outlet O Tempo reported that military police were called.

Uberlandia said Mamore had only seven players available for the second leg because of the dismissals, and described conceding the match as a “gesture of fair play”. The club said it would instead focus on the third-place match.