Brazil soccer match sets world record for most red cards after mass brawl

An under-20s soccer match in Brazil is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, with more than 50 red cards handed out after a mass brawl. 

The match happened on Sunday between Uberlândia and Mamoré in the first leg of their Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship semifinal.

As reported by the BBC, a brawl broke when one of the Mamoré players taunted the opposition bench after his side took a 3-1 lead.

The mass brawl resulted in 40 players and eight staff members being dismissed. 

Three players had earlier been shown red cards, as well as two Uberlândia board members afterwards, according to ESPN, taking the total to 53.

The damage to the Estádio Parque do Sabiá led to the military police being called, according to Brazilian news outlet O Tempo.

Uberlândia released a statement announcing it was withdrawing from the competition in a "gesture of fair play", allowing Mamoré to advance to the final. 

The previous record for most red cards in a match was 36. That happened in an Argentinian fifth-division game between Atlético Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in 2011.