53 red cards in one match: football argument turns into a scandal
Before this, the highest number of red cards was 36.
In Brazil, a football match between the teams «Uberlândia» and «Mamoré» ended in a mass brawl. The referee sent off a total of 53 people from the field.
The incident occurred on November 1 during the second division semifinal match between U20 teams of the state of Minas Gerais. In the match held at the «Parque do Sabiá» stadium in the city of Uberlândia, «Mamoré» defeated its opponent with a score of 3:1.
In the added minutes of the match, after «Mamoré» scored its third goal, a conflict broke out. During the celebration of the goal, the visiting team's player Davi made provocative gestures toward the opposing team's bench and used insulting words. After that, a quarrel arose between the players and members of the coaching staff.
The situation quickly escalated into a mass brawl, with punching, kicking, and throwing of various objects observed on the field. Due to the conflict, referee Fernando Patrick was unable to fully complete the match termination protocol. Therefore, the red cards were entered into the match report accordingly.
According to CNN Brasil, a total of 53 people were sent off from the field. Of these, 43 are players, eight are members of the coaching staff, and two are club officials. Of these, 50 were punished as a result of the mass brawl, and three more players for violations committed during the match.
The conflict was not limited to the players. The referee's report also recorded that «Uberlândia» officials exerted pressure on the refereeing team, insulted them, and made threats. Referee Fernando Patrick filed a complaint with the police regarding threats made by one of the club's representatives.
According to reports, this incident surpassed the previous record for the number of people sent off the field in a football match. Until now, the record was set on February 27, 2011, in a match between the teams «Atletico Claypole» and «Victoriano Arenas» in the fifth division of Argentina. At that time, a total of 36 players from both teams received red cards.
