36 Red Cards in One Match

📰 Author: KickHour
📅 Date: October 1, 2026

36 Red Cards in One Match: The Day an Argentine Fifth-Tier Game Broke Football's Record Books

Claypole vs Victoriano Arenas: how a post-match brawl ended with every registered player dismissed

KickHour.com | 01 October 2026

Football has seen heavy tackles and bad-tempered derbies, but nothing like the afternoon of 26 February 2011. In a fifth-tier league game in Argentina, referee Damián Rubino reported 36 dismissals, the most ever recorded in a single match, and the figure still stands as the world record.

The Match at a Glance

Fixture: Club Atlético Claypole vs Victoriano Arenas
Competition: Argentine Primera D (fifth tier), 23rd round
Venue: Estadio Rodolfo Capocasa, Claypole, Argentina
Referee: Damián Rubino
Result: Claypole 2–0 Victoriano Arenas (goals by Ariel Horonoz and Jonathan Ledesma)
Record: 36 dismissals, 18 per team

How It Started

A tense game with an early flashpoint

Press reports say Victoriano Arenas midfielder Claudio Leiva was sent off at the end of the first half after trading blows with an opponent, and the tension continued into the second half. Claypole went on to win 2–0.

The punch after the final whistle

Reports say Victoriano Arenas player Rodrigo Sánchez had left the pitch about 15 minutes from the end after arguing with his coach. After the final whistle, he is said to have returned and struck an opponent. That set off a mass brawl involving starters, substitutes and a member of the staff, and police stepped in to restore order.

The Referee's Decision

No cards in the middle of the fight

Rubino chose not to show cards during the melee, believing it would make the violence worse. He later wrote a report calling it a "generalised brawl" and recorded as sent off everyone who had signed the match sheet.

The 36 Players Dismissed

Claypole (18)

Walter Romero, Fregotte, Damián Robin, Ramón Luguercho, Carlos Torres, Cristian Alarcón, Adrián Cardozo, Gastón Gomes, Gonzalo Barila, Osvaldo Gáspero, Jonathan Ledesma, Alan Castro, Joan Guerra, Ángel Benítez, Ezequiel Maldonado, Nicolás Aranda, Gastón Aranda and Ariel Horonoz.

Victoriano Arenas (18)

Gastón Rudniezki, Matías Pardo, Matías Laporte, Lucas Medina, Robert Paredes, Emmanuel Aranda, Rodrigo Sánchez, Cristian Álvarez, Claudio Leiva, Fabián Ortiz, Damián Suárez, Diego Viano, Nelson Maldonado, Ariel Vitacca, Fernando De Ferraris, Gastón Torres, Fabián Gaddi and Hernán Figueredo.

The Numbers

36 red cards in total, a world record for a single match.
18 dismissals per side: 11 on-field players and 7 substitutes.
0 players left clear of the report by the end.

How Many Players Were Left on the Pitch?

The answer: none

On paper, no registered player from either team was left unreported, because all 36 were recorded as sent off. In practice the game had already finished, so the 2–0 result was not affected. The dismissals were punishments for the brawl after the final whistle, not for play during the match.

The Aftermath

The tribunal cuts the list

More than 30 of the dismissed players waited at the Argentine Football Association's offices to give statements. Claypole presented a DVD of the match to show that the report did not separate the aggressors from those trying to break up the fight. After watching it, the disciplinary tribunal reduced the 36 reported to seven sanctioned players and cleared the rest. Sánchez received the heaviest penalty, a seven-match suspension.

The referee's reaction

Rubino has said the record brought him unwanted fame, and that he did not referee either club for about a year. He has also said he is unsure he would make the same decision today.

A Note on the Details

Reports of the match differ on some details, including the exact date (26 or 27 February), who started the brawl and how many players were finally sanctioned. KickHour uses the most widely reported figures.