Russian footballers in mad 65-man brawl as they kick, punch and fight on the floor

Six red cards were shown after a huge 65-man brawl broke out during Zenit St Petersburg's Russian Cup tie against Spartak Moscow with players hitting the deck left, right and centre

Posted Monday, November 28, 2022 by Dailystar.co.uk

Six players were sent off after a massive 65-man brawl broke out

Chaotic scenes nearly saw a Russian Cup tie between Zenit St Petersburg and Spartak Moscow get abandoned today when an all-out brawl erupted on the pitch.

Punches, kicks and by the looks of it a few wrestling moves were thrown as players and coaching staff swarmed in after a scuffle between Zenit's Wilmar Barrios and Spartak duo Quincy Promes and Shamar Nicholson got out of hand.

The referee tried to break up the initial scrap but completely lost control when dozens of bodies joined the melee, with players and staff swinging and lunging at each other.

Six red cards (three for each side, all awarded to players who weren't actually playing) were eventually shown after everyone was eventually pulled apart, though it took more than three minutes for the violence to subside.

Unlike in the vast majority of European countries, Russian football hasn't been paused for the World Cup given that the national team and all Russian club teams are currently banned from FIFA and UEFA competitions due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The game ended 0-0, though Zenit triumphed 4-2 on penalties, with keeper Ivan the hero after saving two penalties to win the match, in what was the last bit of action until March as Russia enters its annual winter break.

Fans on social media were absolutely staggered by what they saw, with one user describing it as "the ultimate handbags".

Zenit vs Spartak today got seriously out of hand… 😳pic.twitter.com/xSisfaSGq9
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 27, 2022

"Absolute madness this," one fan tweeted. A second wrote: "Prime Russian football! Those guys are insane." Another joked: "We could use a bit of this drama at the World Cup," while a fourth reckoned officials ought to "ban the lot."