A Brazilian referee issued 23 red cards following a chaotic confrontation during the final of the Campeonato Mineiro between Cruzeiro Esporte Clube and Clube Atlético Mineiro.

The incident occurred late in the match in on Sunday as tensions boiled over during stoppage time of Cruzeiro’s narrow 1–0 victory over their fierce rivals.

Trouble started when Atlético goalkeeper brought down Cruzeiro midfielder Christian while attempting to recover a spilled ball. The goalkeeper then knelt on the midfielder and shouted at him, sparking an angry response from Cruzeiro players.

Several players rushed toward Everson and pushed him into the net, triggering a mass confrontation near the goalpost. The altercation quickly escalated into a full-scale brawl as players from both sides exchanged punches, kicks and shoves.

Substitutes and members of the coaching staff also joined the melee while security personnel struggled to restore order. The disorder lasted for more than a minute before the situation was eventually brought under control.

Brazilian outlet O Globo reported that although the match was completed without immediate dismissals, the referee later reviewed the incident and issued red cards to 23 players 12 from Cruzeiro and 11 from Atlético Mineiro.

Reacting to the incident, Atlético forward condemned the violence.

“It’s regrettable, I have never seen violence like that in any football game,” he said. “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.” (The Sun)

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