‘It’s turned into MMA!’: how a Brazil final descended into anarchy - and 23 red cards

The final of the Minas Gerais state championship in Brazil descended into chaos on Sunday night, with a violent brawl leading to red cards for no fewer than 23 players.

Cruzeiro led bitter rivals Atletico Mineiro 1-0 in added time when a mass altercation — a textbook example of what Brazilians call cenas lamentaveis or lamentable scenes — broke out on the pitch at the Mineirao stadium.

The flashpoint was a clash involving Cruzeiro forward Christian and Atletico goalkeeper Everson: the former made a late challenge and ended up pinned to the floor, his upper body trapped under Everson’s legs. Within seconds, almost every player in the two squads, including substitutes, had sprinted over to the goalmouth. Inevitably, a melee ensued.

It took over 10 minutes to restore order. The game was brought to an end without any further action. Cruzeiro ended the night as champions, their first Campeonato Mineiro title since 2019. Their success, though, was overshadowed by the preceding chaos.

The preamble

The game had been simmering for a while. After scoring what would prove to be the winning goal, 60 minutes in, Cruzeiro striker Kaio Jorge had celebrated by mimicking a cockerel, Atletico’s mascot. As always, this derby — one of Brazil’s most historic — was intense and heated.

A precursor of what was to come arrived three minutes into stoppage time. After Cruzeiro won a goal kick, midfielder Matheus Pereira — formerly of West Bromwich Albion — taunted Atletico defender Renan Lodi as he ran back towards his position. Lodi reacted furiously, shoving Pereira in the throat.

Lodi was himself pushed by Cruzeiro’s William, as Pereira held his face and writhed on the ground.

The game was already on a knife edge. Atletico still had a chance of equalising but already captain Hulk was remonstrating at length with the officials.

The spark

With 50 minutes on the clock, Everson spilt a deflected shot from Pereira. The goalkeeper dived out to claim the loose ball but was met by Christian, who might easily have jumped out of the way but… didn’t.

The challenge left both men in a heap. Everson, though, was incensed. He picked himself up and knelt on top of Christian, his knees pressing down towards his opponent’s face.

The Cruzeiro players rushed over, surrounding Everson. Cruzeiro captain Lucas Silva jumped into the scrum. Everson’s head appeared to smack into the goal post. “It’s turned into MMA!” shouted the commentator on Brazilian stream GETV.

The battle royale

From that point, it was pure anarchy. Players from both sides grappled with each other. Gerson, a Brazil international, kicked Atletico substitute Junior Alonso, as did one of his team-mates. Atletico defender Lyanco — once of Southampton — did a flying kick on Cruzeiro captain Lucas Silva. The attack was not captured on the television broadcast but emerged later from footage filmed from behind the goal. Christian then landed a forearm smash on Lyanco, at the very same moment he was being kicked in the flank by an airborne Alonso.

Security staff rushed in. So did members of each team’s backroom staff. One Atletico player grappled with a Cruzeiro employee. Gerson chased Lyanco; the two then exchanged punches.

Cruzeiro goalkeeper Cassio then appeared to stamp on Lyanco after the latter was dragged to the floor by one of his own team-mates. Kaua Prates also kicked him. Alonso then punched Walace in the face from behind.

Kaio Jorge flew in, studs up, at Alonso, only to be punched in the face by the same in mid-air. Cruzeiro defender Lucas Villalba aimed two flying kicks at Hulk, who responded with punches as a security guard tried to intervene.

“Tomorrow, they are all going to be ashamed of these images,” said the commentator on Globo television. “Let’s see if common sense prevails.”

Eventually, it began to. Cruzeiro coach Tite entered the pitch to calm his players down. Hulk and Gerson exchanged words.

Lyanco, his bib torn, walked away. But Atletico defender Ruan wasn’t done: he scuffled with Walace and Gerson, prompting a new wave of shoving. The players continued to swirl and shout, coming together repeatedly in different constellations as officials struggled to keep them apart.

By this stage, referee Matheus Candancan had asked for the protection of military police on the field. Moments later, as the two teams finally left each other alone, it became clear that Candancan had brought the match to its end.

The fallout

There were plenty more acts of aggression that were not registered by Globo’s main camera. Footage from the side of the pitch showed Lyanco hitting Kaio Jorge from behind. Hulk punched the back of Romero’s head at one point. Many Brazilian football feeds on social media currently resemble crime-scene investigations.

Candancan did not send anyone off on the pitch but his post-match report included red cards for 23 players: 12 from Cruzeiro, 11 from Atletico.

Candancan said Everson had acted “with brutality” in attacking Christian, saying that the incident had led to “generalised fighting” which had made the situation impossible to control.

Cruzeiro’s Lucas Romero said he “regretted what happened” in an on-pitch interview, a sentiment echoed by Hulk. “I just want to say sorry — sorry to any children or young people who were watching,” said the Atletico captain. “These things end up making the news around the world.”

Hulk laid the blame for the fighting at the feet of Candancan. “I told the referee from the start of the game that it was going to end badly,” he said. “He wasn’t showing any personality. If you have to send off one, two, three players, send them off! He was too scared to referee the final.”

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