Blogs

The Game Might Be Back - SEVENTEEN RED CARDS In Bolivian Football Brawl

These days, social media is awash with the same accusation: “the game’s gone.” Whether it be directed at soft refereeing, rival players hugging and shaking hands upon the full-time whistle, or AI signings (I’m looking at you, Hashtag United), the football world has become increasingly familiar with this terminology.

🚨 MADNESS IN COPA PACEÑA! 🚨

Real Oruro 2-2 Blooming (Agg 3-4)

A total CARNAGE as ~17 red cards were shown in stoppage time 😳🟥 🤯🤯

Goals, drama, chaos — this match had EVERYTHING!#CopaPaceña #Football #RedCardChao pic.twitter.com/tSzbOHpbPE
— Thinker 👀 (@Xyzuser95) November 28, 2025

However, it appears that players in the Bolivian top flight didn’t get the memo - last night, a Copa Bolivia quarter-final meeting between Real Oruro and Blooming saw both sides clash in a big way; a whopping 17 red cards were shown in total, as what started as a football game quickly turned into a mass brawl.

Chaos Descends

Up until added time in the second half, the game had been dramatic enough - after a first leg which ended 2-1 in Blooming’s favour, the away side turned an early deficit into a lead, only to see an 84th-minute penalty converted to bring the aggregate score to 4-3 - the last six minutes plus added time were anyone’s game.

However, home side Oruro couldn’t find that all-important goal, and when the full-time whistle blew, it secured Blooming a spot in the semi-finals, where they would face Bolivar, a side who had just managed a 9-1 aggregate win over San Antonio.

However, that was only half the story - once the whistle had gone, and players went over to shake hands and show respect, someone evidently went over with a different energy.

According to a Real Oruro statement after the game, the fight was sparked by an individual making racist remarks, and in no time at all, every single person on the pitch, including some of the match officials, were involved.

Things got ugly quickly - what had started as a war of words quickly became violent. Punches were thrown, players and staff were hitting the deck left, right and centre, and the police quickly made their presence known.

¡ESCÁNDALO EN ORURO! EL REAL ORURO vs. BLOOMING TERMINÓ EN UNA PELEA A GOLPES ENTRE JUGADORES Y CUERPOS TÉCNICOS 🥊🔥 pic.twitter.com/vsAqQPNQkn
— Juan Pasten (@juanpasten2010) November 26, 2025

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you are), there is no shortage of video footage to be found, and it clearly shows players nursing injuries, staff getting exceptionally angry at their opposite numbers, and old men getting stuck in to a good old-fashioned fist fight.

Even individuals who I can only assume are the managers of both sides got involved - in one humorous clip, an old man repping a hat with his club's badge on it throws a punch at another, who promptly falls backwards in slow motion, his fall broken by the advertising hoardings behind him.

Remarkably, the one thing the various social media clips fail to capture is the referee awarding any of these 17 red cards.

Blooming managed to pick up 10 of the 17 red cards, seven of which were shown to players, while the players and staff of Oruro were shown four and three, respectively.

The fight was only brought to a stop when the police engaged in the use of tear gas in a bid to separate the warring teams, as firing rubber blanks from their guns had failed to do the trick minutes prior.

Though the game saw less than half of the 38 red cards shown in a game between Argentinian fifth-tier sides Claypole and Victoriano Arenas back in 2011, it was a reminder of just how fiery South American football can be - it was the sort of scrap you will never see in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

Blooming can consider themselves as good as out of the Copa Bolivia; with scene players missing for their next tie, they have virtually no hope of coming away with a win there, and they may not even need to. In my opinion, a suitable punishment is to remove them from the competition entirely.

Further details of the incident are yet to be made public, but will likely become available in due course.