Brazilian referee issues 51 red cards after 40-minute football brawl

A football referee has reportedly issued 51 red cards following a mass brawl during a youth match in Brazil.

The confrontation involved Uberlandia and Mamore in the Minas Gerais Under-20 Second Division and lasted about 40 minutes on Sunday before military police intervened, according to Brazilian newspaper O Tempo.

The referee’s report stated that the violence erupted in the 54th minute of Sunday’s match after Mamoré player Davi taunted the opposing team’s bench while celebrating his side’s third goal.

In a video that went viral on Thursday, the incident reportedly escalated when Uberlandia’s goalkeeping coach, Paulo Sérgio Dias Dos Santos, ran onto the pitch to confront the player.

Chairs and stretchers were allegedly used as weapons during the melee, while the referee’s report also claimed that Uberlandia ball boys joined the violence by throwing punches and kicks.

Referee Drosghic Modesto also alleged that he received death threats and other threats of violence from different individuals following the incident.

A police report was subsequently filed over the threats, according to the match official’s account.

The match was suspended for 40 minutes before being abandoned.

The 51 red cards were reportedly issued to 43 players and eight members of the teams’ technical staff.

According to Guinness World Records, the previous highest reported number of red cards in a single football match was 36, recorded during an Argentine Primera D fixture in 2011.