All-out brawl on the field: 51 players ejected, benches and locker rooms destroyed

An all-time record for the number of players sent off in a Mineiro Under-20 Championship match in Brazil: the first leg of the semifinal between Uberlândia and Mamoré ended in a draw and with a full-scale brawl on the field. The brawl broke out in stoppage time, with Mamoré leading 3-1: winger Bittencourt celebrated wildly toward the opposing bench after his team’s third goal, and all hell broke loose.

First to enter the field was Uberlândia’s goalkeeper coach, Dias dos Santos, who shoved the player. That was the spark that ignited a full-scale brawl, with all the players on the field and those on the bench—including the coaching staff—caught up in the melee. Punches and kicks were flying from all sides, with chairs, stretchers, and ice packs thrown at opponents, and no attempt at reconciliation: the military police had to intervene to restore calm after five minutes of chaos.

Referee Modesto suspended the match and issued a total of 51 red cards: 43 players (practically the entire rosters of both teams) and 8 staff members. The brawl continued in the locker rooms, causing damage to the stadium facilities.

Amid the chaos, an Uberlândia official reportedly even made death threats against the referee. Brazilian media expect severe sanctions from the Federation.