An unprecedented incident unfolded in Brazilian football when a staggering 51 red cards were shown during an Under-20 match, with the game eventually abandoned following a massive on-field brawl.
The incident took place during the second half of an Under-20 Campeonato Mineiro (Second Division) semi-final between hosts Uberlandia and local rivals Mamore at the Estadio Parque do Sabia in Minas Gerais.
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Tensions boiled over in the 54th minute after Mamore scored to take a 3-1 lead. What followed was a full-scale altercation involving players, substitutes, coaching staff and officials, which took nearly 40 minutes to bring under control.
According to the referee's official report, the incident began shortly after Mamore's third goal, when forward Davi ran towards the opposition bench and taunted Uberlandia's substitutes and staff during his celebration.
The gesture angered Uberlandia's goalkeeping coach, Paulo Sergio Dias Dos Santos, who ran onto the pitch to confront the forward. The situation quickly escalated, with players and members of both teams joining the confrontation.
The violence soon spread beyond the players, as substitutes, technical staff and board members also entered the field, making it difficult for the match officials to restore order.
Referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto also revealed in his report that even six ball boys were involved in the altercation. According to the report, the ball boys attacked Mamore personnel using objects, chairs and stretchers.
Local military police were eventually called to the stadium to control the situation and restore order.
There were also allegations that Uberlandia officials damaged equipment belonging to Mamore's players, with Mamore staff vandalizing the home team's dressing room in response.
There were already three players sent off before the mass clash began. But the referee also handed out another 48 red cards in his official report to players, officials and others involved in the violence.
The final tally stood at 51 red cards, including 43 players, eight support staff members and two board members.
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The remarkable incident also broke the previous Guinness World Record for the most red cards issued in a single football match.
The previous record was 36 red cards in a fifth-tier Argentine match between Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in 2011.
The incredible scenes in Brazil have now written an unprecedented chapter in the history of on-field controversies in football.
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