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Cruzeiro beat Atletico Mineiro 1-0 in the Campeonato Mineiro final on Sunday, but the match ended in chaos. According to match reports and the referee’s official account, a mass brawl broke out in stoppage time and 23 red cards were issued.
Kaio Jorge scored the only goal in Belo Horizonte to give Cruzeiro the state title. However, a violent fight between players from both teams soon overshadowed the result. Twelve Cruzeiro players and eleven Atletico Mineiro players were dismissed, including former Brazil forward Hulk and full-back Renan Lodi.
The trouble started after a late collision in the penalty area between Cruzeiro’s Christian and Atletico’s goalkeeper Everson. The referee’s report said Everson reacted angrily, pushed Christian to the ground, and drove his knee into Christian’s chest. This quickly brought in more Cruzeiro players and started a larger fight.
The fight lasted for several minutes and spread beyond the goal area, with players throwing punches, kicking, and shoving. Substitutes and coaching staff joined in, and security staff and military police had to step in to restore order. Referee Matheus Candançan asked for police protection during the chaos.
No red cards were shown on the field during the incident. Instead, the referee confirmed the dismissals later in his written report. He explained that the confusion made it impossible to show the red cards during the fight. The report said players were sent off for throwing punches and kicks during a “generalized brawl” after the final whistle.
The list of dismissed Cruzeiro players included Cássio, Fagner, Fabrício Bruno, João Marcelo, Villalba, Kauã Prates, Christian, Lucas Romero, Matheus Henrique, Walace, Gerson, and Kaio Jorge. Atletico’s dismissed players were Everson, Gabriel Delfim, Preciado, Lyanco, Ruan Tressoldi, Junior Alonso, Renan Lodi, Alan Franco, Alan Minda, Cassierra, and Hulk.
Hulk described the scenes as damaging to the sport. “It’s regrettable,” he said after the match. “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 coach Tite did not talk much about the violence after the match. He thanked the fans for their support. Still, this final will probably be remembered more for the number of red cards than for Cruzeiro’s winning goal. It is rare for a final to have 23 red cards, especially when none were shown during the game.
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