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Red cards being flashed by a soccer referee
It’s pretty rare to see more than a couple of red cards handed out during a soccer game. However, two teams in Brazil managed to earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records after a referee issued more than 50 in the wake of a massive brawl.
Soccer may not be classified as a contact sport, but it can still be a very physical game where players routinely run the risk of falling victim to a hard tackle. However, they have plenty of incentive to keep things clean thanks to the power wielded by the referees who are tasked with overseeing matches.
I assume most people reading this are familiar with the card system that’s used to keep players in check; they can be hit with a yellow for crossing the line, and two of those equal a red (which can also be pulled out as discipline for particularly egregious violations) that comes with an automatic ejection.
Being down a man can put teams at a major disadvantage, and the fact that players do what they can to avoid being hit with a red card is reflected by the fact that they’re only deployed once in every four matches played around the globe.
However, two teams in Brazil did everything in their power to increase that average due to a wild scene that was responsible for a new world record.
A grand total of 51 red cards were handed out at a soccer game in Brazil that featured a massive brawl
On Sunday, November 1st, Uberlândia and Mamoré faced off in a U-20 championship semifinal that unfolded at Parque do Sábia in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
According to Globo, tensions boiled over after Mamoré pulled out to a 3-1 lead in the 54th minute of the second half, which sparked a celebration where Davi Fernandes Bittencourt taunted Uberlândia’s bench. The opposing side took exception, and punches, kicks, and various objects started flying as the game descended into chaos.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HAS BEEN BROKEN IN BRAZIL IN A FOOTBALL GAME.
A Guinness World Record was broken for the number of red cards in a single game, the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship clash between Uberlândia and Mamoré saw 51 sendings off, including 43 players and eight members of coaching staff 🤯🟥
A mass brawl that began in the 54th minute saw the referee break a record that had stood since 2011 for the most expulsions in a single fixture, according to reports from O Tempo 😭
The referee’s report indicated that the chaos wasn’t limited to the players. Six ball boys reportedly participated in the aggression, throwing punches, kicks, and objects at players and members of the Mamoré coaching staff.
Stretchers and chairs were also used in the fighting that took close to 40 minutes to subside, while local military police were forced to attend to assess the vandalism inside the stadium after the air had cooled 🇧🇷
— Peter O.U (@Parisdreams_emp) November 4, 2026
After the dust settled, Fernando Patrick, the referee overseeing the proceedings, penned a match report in which he handed out a grand total of 51 red cards to 43 players and four members of each team’s coaching staff. 48 of those were the direct result of the fight, although three players earned them for other reasons.
Two of them earned a red via a second yellow: Uberlândia’s Luike Bispo dos Santos got his for “recklessly striking an opponent in the abdominal area” (a ruling that caused a 40-minute stoppage after club officials took to the field to protest) and a Mamoré player received his for insulting Patrick.
There was also an Uberlândia player who got hit with a straight red, which he earned after punching Mamoré’s goalie in the stomach.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the previous high for the most red cards in a match was the 36 that were doled out during a game in Argentina in 2011.
The drama didn’t end after Patrick brought the game to an end, as he also filed a police report after claiming Uberlândia manager Willer Francisco Silva threatened to have him killed. O Tempo reports that military police were also called to the stadium and documented extensive damage to a locker room that Mamoré allegedly destroyed before leaving the venue.
The best part? This was the first of the two scheduled semifinal games between the teams, who will meet again on November 8th to determine who plays in the final.
However, there are lingering questions about how the red cards (which are supposed to trigger an automatic suspension for the next match) will be handled, as the vast majority of them were handed out in the match report as opposed to being flashed on the field.