A total of 23 players were shown red cards in a football match in Brazil.
The players were booked following a mass brawl in the dying seconds of the Mar. 8 match between Brazilian clubs Cruzeiro and Atletico Mineiro in the Campeonato Mineiro final.
Cruzeiro eventually beat rivals Atletico 1-0 to become the champions of the state of Minas Gerais for the first time since 2019.
Among those sent off was Atletico's former Brazil forward Hulk.
"It's regrettable," he said after Sunday's final.
"We cannot set that example because it ends up having repercussions all around the world. We have a responsibility to safeguard our image and the image of the institution," he added.
How the fight started
The fight started after the Atletico goalkeeper collided mid-air with a Cruzeiro player, and the goalkeeper pushed the player onto the ground.
The goalkeeper then put his knee on the player's chest.
The Cruzeiro player's teammates confronted the goalkeeper and shoved him against the goalpost.
More players joined the melee, some of them in substitute player vests, as security staff tried to separate the teams.
How 23 players got sent off
Brazilian media Globo reported that 23 players were sent off subsequently because the fight stopped the match official from showing the cards on the field.
A typical football match has 11 players on each team, or 22 players on the pitch in total.
Cruzeiro had 12 players, including its goalscorer, sent off.
Atletico had 11 players dismissed.
Atletico and Cruzeiro are ranked 17th and 19th, respectively, in the Brazilian top flight after no wins in their four Serie A games this season.
Most number of red cards: 36
The record for the most red cards in a match was 36 red cards in February 2011.
The match between Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in the fifth division of Argentine football saw all 36 players involved in the match sent off due to a brawl.
Top photo via ESPN FC
