Violence & Brawls ·
A Final, a Brawl and 23 Sendings-Off in the Match Report
After Cruzeiro’s win over Atlético Mineiro, referee Matheus Delgado Candançan recorded 23 sendings-off without showing a red card on the field.
Referee Matheus Delgado Candançan showed no red cards on the field as a mass brawl overtook the end of the Campeonato Mineiro final on 8 March 2026. He requested police protection during the disturbance. In his official match report, however, he recorded 23 sendings-off: 12 Cruzeiro players and 11 from Atlético Mineiro.
Cruzeiro had won 1–0 at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, with Kaio Jorge scoring the only goal in the 60th minute. The victory brought the club its first Minas Gerais state title since 2019 and ended Atlético’s run of six consecutive titles. The confrontation began in added time after Cruzeiro midfielder Christian collided with Atlético goalkeeper Everson.
Candançan’s report gave separate reasons for dismissing the two players. He wrote that Christian struck Everson’s head with his shin, using excessive force while the goalkeeper had possession of the ball. In the entry for Everson, he said the goalkeeper, after being fouled, knocked Christian down and struck him in the face with a knee, acting “with brutality.” Both entries said a general brawl followed and that it had not been possible to show the red cards.
According to GE’s account, Cruzeiro players moved toward Everson after he pushed Christian down and put both knees on him. Punches and flying kicks followed. Team security staff and military police were called in to separate the players. Once the disturbance had subsided, the match was brought to an end without Candançan dismissing anyone on the field.
For the other 21 dismissals, Candançan repeated the same explanation in his report: the players had punched and kicked opponents during the general fight after the match, and the tumult had prevented him from showing the cards. The tally was therefore a record of disciplinary decisions, not 23 red cards held up during play. GE reported that it set a Brazilian record, exceeding the 22 dismissals recorded in both a 1954 Portuguesa–Botafogo match and a 1971 Avaí–Figueirense friendly.
The penalties carried into the next edition of the state competition. Minas Gerais’ sports tribunal reached settlements with both clubs, imposing four-match bans on the 23 dismissed players for the next Campeonato Mineiro and fining each club R$400,000. The suspensions did not carry over into Brazil’s national league or continental competitions.
Atlético forward Hulk was among those dismissed. GE described him receiving flying kicks from Cruzeiro defender Lucas Villalba, retaliating with punches and kicking Lucas Romero. Afterward, Hulk told local media: “It’s regrettable, I have never seen violence like that in any football game.”
He also apologised on Instagram: “I apologise to everyone who was in the stadium, to those who watched it on television, and especially to the children who look up to football. What we saw on the pitch is not the example we want to set.”