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A wild soccer brawl broke out in Brazil during a match between Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro. A referee called upon police after being blamed for the melee.
The official was safely escorted from the premises as punches flew between opposing team members. The game was forced to end early as a result.
The fight lasted for more than a minute. It was sparked by a hard challenge involving the Atlético goalkeeper.
Taking offense to the attempt, the keeper tackled a Cruzeiro winger in the box. Chaos erupted in the moments to follow.
Soccer brawl mars match in Brazil.
— DG (@gols000000) March 8, 2026
After the initial tackle, members of both teams rushed towards the action. Kicks and punches were thrown as each side jumped in to defend their teammates.
New angles provide an inside look at the mayhem.
These angles just keep getting crazier & crazierpic.twitter.com/L6ppNxUNhW https://t.co/LOh3LhUu2l
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 9, 2026
The confrontation came in the final moments of stoppage time. There were just 30 seconds remaining on the clock.
The match was called when the dust settled. In all, 23 players received red cards.
Military police were called in to disrupt the fight. The referee to blame was escorted away from the bedlam in an attempt to ensure safety.
Referee blamed for ugly scene.
Matheus Candançan is the official taking the brunt of the criticism. He was blasted by players for an inability to keep control.
“I told the referee from the beginning of the game that things were going to go wrong. He lacked character. If he has to send off one, two, three players, he should send them off!
“He was afraid to referee the final. But he has no personality. I don’t recall [previously] participating in any act of violence during a football match. I will never tire of apologizing.
“We try to calm things down, but when your blood is hot, you see a teammate being attacked, you automatically react. But it could have been avoided.”
-Atlético Mineiro forward Hulk
The scene overshadowed a competitive Campeonato Mineiro final match.
The game was called with Cruzeiro up 1-0. That outcome would allow them to become state champion in Minas Gerais.