SAO PAULO (AP) — A state-level under-20 soccer match in Brazil may have attracted the unwanted world record for most red cards: 51.
Marching orders were issued to 43 players and eight staff during and after Mamore’s 3-1 win at Uberlandia in the semifinals of the second division of the Minas Gerais state U20 championship on Sunday.
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
The Guinness Book of Records says the most red cards shown in a professional soccer match is 36 in 2011 during a match in Argentina’s fifth division between Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas.
Sunday’s match report by referee Fernando Patrick Modesto says 48 people, including players and coaching staff, were sent off because of a brawl after the final goal.
“During the celebration of his team’s third goal, a player made provocative gestures to the bench of the hosts and uttered the following words,” Modesto’s report says, adding expletives as used by the player.
Two Mamore players were sent off later, one for threatening to hit the referee and the other for punching a rival after the brawl. An Uberlandia player was sent off earlier for a second yellow card.
