A Brazilian regional championship final erupted into big chaos after a massive brawl broke out in the Campeonato Mineiro final between Cruzeiro Esporte Clube and Clube Atltico Mineiro.
It kicked off as Cruzeiro midfielder Christian collided with Atlético Mineiro goalkeeper Everson as he was attempting to gather a loose ball, which mad Everson who reacted aggressively, pushing Christian to the ground, appearing to knee him in the chest/face, and shouting at him, which caused tempers to take over him immediately.
Seconds later and the two teams faced off on the pitch with both teams subs, coaches and staff racing from the bench onto the field to add to the madness as it spread across the field.
Footage broadcast on television could be seen of players pushing, punching and chasing each other down the touchline of the pitch as it got completely out of control.
The referees tried their best to diffuse the fight while the security guards and Brazilian Military Police rushed onto the field and pushed and separated the two sides.
After order was restored, the ref got his red cards out and the cards for the involved players started flying.
In total, 23 players were sent off, which turned out to be the record for red cards received in one single Brazilian game. 12 players from Cruzeiro were dismissed and 11 players from Atletico Mineiro received red cards. Former Brazil international and forward, Hulk, one of the most well known players on Atletico Mineiro, was one of those dismissed from the game.
This new record beat the previous of 22 players, received in the 1954 game between Associao Portuguesa de Desportos and Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas. The Campeonato Mineiro is the top Brazilian state football championship where these two Belo Horizonte rivals compete. Disciplinary decisions from match officials and league authorities are expected to be reviewed in one of the wildest finals ever.
