A staggering 51 red cards were issued during a single Under-20 football match in Brazil, setting a new Guinness World Record for the most dismissals in one game. The chaotic encounter between Uberlandia and Mamore in the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship saw 43 players and eight members of coaching staff sent off.
The unprecedented incident occurred after an altercation near the technical areas escalated into a mass brawl. The match had already seen Uberlandia reduced to ten men when Luike Bispo dos Santos struck an opponent. The situation then spiraled out of control in the 54th minute, with players chasing each other and military police being called to the stadium.
According to reports, six ball boys also became involved in the melee, throwing punches, kicks, and objects at players and staff. Weapons such as stretchers and chairs were reportedly used, and the chaos took more than half an hour to subside.
The previous record for red cards in a single match was 36, set during a fifth-division game in Argentina in 2011.
Reports from Brazilian outlet Ge Globo indicate that Uberlandia manager Willer Francisco Silva entered the field with two other staff members to confront the referee, Fernando Patrick, with threats of violence allegedly made. The game was eventually restarted, but the fourth goal of the match, scored by Uberlandia, triggered the widespread brawl. In total, 22 players from Uberlandia and 21 from Mamore were dismissed, alongside four staff members from each club.