Chaos erupted during the Campeonato Mineiro final between Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro, resulting in 23 players from both teams receiving red cards in Brazil.
The incident occurred in Belo Horizonte on Sunday, deep into stoppage time of Cruzeiro’s 1-0 victory. The flashpoint came when Atlético goalkeeper Everson rugby-tackled Christian to the ground after the midfielder collided with him while challenging for a loose ball.
Everson then knelt on Christian, catching his face, and shouted at him while pressing down on his back. This sparked outrage among Cruzeiro players, who confronted Everson and pushed him into the goal, triggering a full-scale brawl.
The fight spread across the pitch, with players kicking, punching, and shoving each other, while security personnel and staff tried to intervene. The melee, involving substitutes and coaching staff, lasted over a minute. Although the match continued without immediate sendings-off, the referee later issued 23 red cards—12 to Cruzeiro players and 11 to Atlético players, according to O Globo.
“It’s regrettable, I have never seen violence like that in any football game,” said Atlético’s former Brazil forward Hulk. “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.”
Cruzeiro’s coach, Tite, expressed gratitude to supporters after the win, stating, “I may lack competence at times, but respect for the fans, the work, the dignity, the honesty, that’s what counts.”
Players affected by the retrospective red cards included Gagner, F.Bruno, J. Marcelo, L.Villalba, K.Pitrates, Christian, L.Romero, H.Henrique, Wallace, Gerson, C.Ramos, K.Jorge, Everson, G.Delfim, A.Preciado, Lyanco, R.Tressoldi, Jr Alonso, R.Lodi, A.franco, M.Cassierra, Hulk, A.Minda—all punished at 90+6 minutes.
VIDEO BELOW:
🚨🚨| WAR breaks out between the players of Cruzeiro and Atletico Mineiro.
There was 23 RED CARDS shown in the match. 😱🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/wnHAPou7Ew— NewsClick Nigeria Media (@NewsClickng) March 9, 2026
