Referee shows 36 red cards in a match
Fri Mar 04 03:07PM
An Argentine referee has caused a sensation by handing out an unbelievable 36 red cards during a single football match.
The D Metropolitana league match between Claypole and Victoriano Arenas on February 26 started off in relatively normal fashion, with home side Claypole building a 2-0 lead at the Estadio Rodolfo Vicente Capocasa.
But half-way through the second half the simmering tension that had been evident throughout the encounter blew up into a massive brawl, which drew in players and coaching staff from both sides.
Match official Damian Rubino started brandishing cards in a desperate attempt to regain control of the encounter, but things went from bad to worse as fans started to jump over the barriers and get involved.
That didn't deter Rubino's faith in the power of paperwork, however: he continued showing his cards, eventually sending off every player on both sides, plus all the substitutes and coaching staff for either team.
Victoriano Arenas boss Domingo Sganga claims he feared for his life, and begged police to lock the players in the dressing room.
But Claypole boss Sergio Micieli saw it differently, claiming that Rubino "was confused," and that most of those involved in the fight were actually trying to break it up. Needless to say, the Argentine FA have launched an investigation.
Meanwhile, Rubino can content himself with the knowledge that he will be in the Guinness Book of Records after showing the most red cards ever in a single game, easily beating the previous record of 20 from a Paraguayan match played in 1993.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/article/37687/