Mamoré took a 3–1 lead in a Brazilian youth semifinal and left with most of its matchday squad facing suspension. More than 50 people were dismissed during and after its visit to Uberlândia in the second division of the Minas Gerais under-20 championship. The clubs are still scheduled to meet again.
Last year’s Paulista final involving Memphis Depay produced four red cards. Uberlândia and Mamoré’s formal dismissal list contains 43 players and eight staff members, 51 in all. The referee separately recorded red cards for two Uberlândia officials who weren’t on the team sheet, bringing the full count to 53.
The final brawl broke out after Mamoré’s third goal at Parque do Sabiá on November 1. Referee Fernando Patrick Modesto said Davi Fernandes Bittencourt directed insults and provocative gestures toward Uberlândia’s bench. Goalkeeping coach Paulo Sérgio Dias dos Santos then ran onto the pitch and pushed him. The confrontation spread to players and staff, while the referee also alleged that six ball attendants joined the violence.
The match had already been interrupted for 40 minutes earlier in the second half. Modesto said Uberlândia officials invaded the field after a sending-off, demanded that he reverse it and threatened the officiating team. Three players had been dismissed before the late confrontation. When the final fight erupted, he couldn’t present most of the remaining cards and ended the match because it was unsafe to continue. The dismissals were entered in his report.
Guinness World Records’ public listing still identifies a 2011 match between Argentina’s Claypole and Victoriano Arenas as its benchmark, with 36 players sent off. The 43 players on the Brazilian list exceed that figure without counting staff, although recognition of a new Guinness record hasn’t been confirmed.
A second leg with promotion at stake
Dismissals can apply to substitutes, players who’ve already come off and team officials, which explains how a total can climb so far beyond the 22 players on the pitch. Under the Minas Gerais federation’s regulations, expelled players and technical staff are automatically barred from the next match in the same competition, even before the sports tribunal considers further punishment.
Mamoré vice-president Edson Reis said the club planned to seek relief for some players and ask for Uberlândia’s exclusion from the competition. He argued that punishments should reflect each person’s involvement and claimed his players and staff were defending themselves amid inadequate security.
There’s a separate dispute over damage to the stadium. Police told O TEMPO that roughly 14 doors, bathroom fixtures, electrical wiring and other equipment were damaged, including two whirlpool baths. Uberlândia officials blamed the visiting delegation, but the police account didn’t individually identify those allegedly responsible.
The return fixture remains listed for November 8 at Bernardo Rubinger de Queiroz stadium in Patos de Minas. A place in the final also brings promotion to the first division of the state’s under-20 championship. The losing semifinalist would still have another chance through the third-place playoff, with three clubs going up.
Mamoré is preparing stronger security for Uberlândia’s arrival while trying to assemble its team. Reis said the club had 11 registered players available and could bring back two who’d previously been released.
