In Brazil, a referee sent off 53 people in a single match — a new football record

Brawl after the third goal

On November 1, the Parque do Sabiá stadium in Uberlândia hosted the semi-final of the Minas Gerais state U20 second division, in which Mamoré beat Uberlândia 3–1. In stoppage time, after Mamoré's third goal, the visiting player Davi, while celebrating, made provocative gestures toward the opponents' bench and used insulting words, reports Zamon.uz citing CNN Brasil. A quarrel broke out between players and coaching staff members, which quickly escalated into a mass brawl: punches, kicks and the throwing of various objects were seen on the pitch.

53 sendings-off and a police report

Because of the conflict, referee Fernando Patrick was unable to fully follow the protocol for finishing the match, so the red cards were entered into the match report accordingly. In total, 53 people were sent off: 43 players, eight members of the coaching staffs and two club officials. Fifty people were punished for taking part in the mass brawl, and three more players for rule violations during the match. The referee's report also notes that Uberlândia officials pressured the refereeing team, insulted them and made threats; over threats from one of the club's representatives, Patrick filed a police report.

A new record

According to CNN Brasil, this case surpassed the previous record for the number of sendings-off in a single football match. The previous record was set on February 27, 2011, in an Argentine fifth division match between Atlético Claypole and Victoriano Arenas, when 36 players from the two teams received red cards. Notably, in the Brazilian match the sendings-off affected not only players: coaching staff and club officials also fell under sanctions, and the matter went beyond the pitch — with a police report filed.