23 Red Cards in a Football Match in Brazil

The final match of the Minas Gerais State Championship between Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro witnessed a historic event after 23 players from both teams were sent off, marking the largest number of expulsions recorded in a single match worldwide.

The crisis erupted 30 seconds before the end of injury time, following a clash between Cruzeiro forward Christian and Atletico goalkeeper Everson, who responded violently and struck Christian several times, igniting a mass confrontation between players from both teams.

The pitch turned into a battleground as players exchanged violent punches and kicks, including the participation of Brazilian star Hulk. Security forces and military police intervened to break up the fight, and the match was halted for about ten minutes before resuming without any player being sent off at that time.

After the end of the match, media reports announced that the referee expelled 11 players from Atlético Mineiro, including Hulk and Renan Lodi, and 12 players from Cruzeiro, including former Marseille player Gerson, breaking the previous record of 22 red cards set in 1954.