Brawl erupts after South American cup match with 17 red cards issued and police forced to intervene

A South American cup match descended into chaos with the referee dishing out a staggering 17 red cards, including 16 following a massive brawl that required police intervention with pepper spray.

Tuesday’s Copa Bolivia quarter-final between Club Blooming and Real Oruro ended in farcical scenes as tempers flared post-match.

The fracas began with what Bolivian outlet El Potosi described as a scuffle involving some Blooming players and Oruro’s Sebastian Zeballos and Julio Vila.

The altercation quickly spiralled with players throwing punches and kicking each other. Both clubs’ staff, including Oruro coach Marcelo Robledo, also got involved in the brawl.

A number of police had to intervene, using pepper spray to attempt to restore order.

Oruro posted a picture on Instagram showing Robledo in hospital after Tuesday’s chaos, which resulted in four of their players receiving red cards.

Blooming fared even worse in the disciplinary stakes, with seven players sent off, six of those red cards coming after the brawl. The other six red cards were given to the teams’ backroom staff, including the Oruro coach.

On Friday, Blooming shared an Instagram video saying a member of their security staff had undergone surgery for a fractured cheekbone sustained during the violence.

Both clubs could be hit with further penalties once referee Renan Castillo submits his report to the Sports Disciplinary Tribunal.

Blooming advanced to the semi-finals after winning the tie 4-3 on aggregate, having taken a 2-1 advantage from the first leg. They will now face Club Bolivar, last year’s Bolivian top-flight champions, in the semi-finals.

With Reuters