Massive Brawl In Football Game Leads To 23 Players Getting A Red Card In Brazil

In a rather unusual fashion, a football game being played in Brazil saw 23 players get red-carded. On Sunday, Cruzeiro took on Atlético MG in the Mineiro Championship final in Brazil.

Cruzeiro managed to secure a tough-earned 1-0 victory and become the champions of the state for the first time since 2019. However, the match was interrupted because of a massive brawl that broke out. The confrontation began with just 30 seconds remaining in the stoppage time when Atletico goalkeeper Everson pushed Cruzeiro midfielder Christian to the ground and pressed his knee against the player’s chest.

This prompted a wild reaction from Christian’s teammates, who shoved the goalkeeper onto the goalpost. As a result, more players from both sides joined in while the security staff struggled to separate the teams.

It is worth noting that no red cards were issued during the game. However, as reported by Brazilian media outlet Globo, a total of 23 players ended up being sent off later. The champions, Cruzeiro, had 12 players sent off, including Jorge, who scored the only goal of the game.

Hulk, who has represented Brazil in 49 appearances, was one of the 23 players sent off and later expressed his regrets over being involved. The veteran was certainly unhappy with his own actions and claimed that it was not a good representation of how they should act as players.

He said, “I apologize to everyone who was in the stadium, to those who watched it on television, and especially to the children who look up to football. What we saw on the pitch is not the example we want to set.”

Many believe that 23 players being sent off in a single game might be the record. However, that is not the case. Back in 2011, the fifth division of the Argentine league saw all 36 players involved in the game being sent off.

That said, players should certainly do a better job at holding their nerves when it comes to situations like these.