Key Takeaways
- Referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto sent off 53 people after a stoppage-time brawl in the Uberlândia vs. Mamoré U20 semifinal first leg, beating the previous Guinness record of 36.
- Mamoré's ninth-minute stoppage-time goal for a 3-1 lead led to a confrontation after Davi allegedly taunted the Uberlândia bench, and players, coaches, staffers and ball boys then fought.
- Drosghic Modesto wrote that the brawl made it impossible to show the red cards or run the match-closing protocol, so he ended the game, and a police report was filed over alleged death threats against him.
- Uberlândia said it will forfeit the second leg as a "gesture of fair play," which sends Mamoré into the Minas Gerais state championship U20 final.
An under-20s soccer match in Brazil ended in spectacular fashion after a total of 53 players and staff were sent off, as well as two board members.
As reported by ESPN, a game between Underlândia and Mamoré, part of a local U20s semifinal in Minas Gerais, saw a huge fight break out when the latter was up 3-1 against the former. In the minutes that followed, 40 players and eight staff were sent off by the game’s referee, Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto. Three players received red cards earlier in the match, while two board members of Uberlândia were also dismissed by the referee.
That means a total of 53 people received red cards during the game, eclipsing the previous Guinness World Record of 36 red cards in a single soccer game. The fight during Sunday’s game reportedly erupted because one of the Mamoré players taunted the opposition bench following the team’s third goal. The match had to be halted for 40 minutes and was ultimately abandoned.
Uberlândia officials were also accused of destroying or damaging Mamoré equipment after the game, while Mamoré team members allegedly destroyed the home dressing room.
