Brawl ends Minas Gerais semifinal amid disputed card tally

A mass brawl during an under-20 football semifinal in Minas Gerais led referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto to end the match, with reports recording 51 red cards and one account counting 53. The incident occurred in the first leg between Uberlandia and Mamore, after Mamore took a 3-1 lead. The referee’s report said the disorder made it impossible to show all the cards or complete the match protocol. The reported tally of 51 consists of 43 players and eight coaching or playing staff. One account also included two Uberlandia board members, raising its total to 53; the other reviewed reports did not include those board members in their tally. The complete official count is therefore not established by the reports. The previous reported record was 36 red cards, issued in a 2011 match between Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in Argentina. The referee’s report said the brawl broke out in the second half after Mamore scored its third goal. Accounts said Mamore player Davi celebrated toward the opposing bench, and Uberlandia’s goalkeeping coach went onto the field to confront him. The confrontation then escalated between players and other people present. Three players had already...