Pre-season friendly with host of ex-Premier League stars descends into chaos with huge brawl on pitch and in stands
A PRE-SEASON friendly between Al-Ittihad and Farense was forced to finish early after ugly brawls broke out on the pitch and in the stands.
Saudi side Al-Ittihad, managed by former Manchester United star Laurent Blanc, have been in Portugal on a training camp.
As part of their trip, they took on local top flight outfit Farense.
Former Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema gave the visitors a 12th minute lead, before a second-half fight back from the hosts.
After Farense turned the match around to lead 3-1, a major flashpoint occurred.
In the 82nd minute, the Portuguese side were awarded a free-kick for a foul from behind.
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Following the incident two stars appeared to square up to each other, before a Farense player steamed in and shoved his Al-Ittihad counterpart to the ground.
This sparked chaotic scenes, with a mass brawl breaking out including several stars from both teams.
Officials and substitutes also steamed onto the pitch to join the melee.
While boss Blanc could be seen stoically watching on with his arms folded from his technical area.
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As the chaos continued to unfold, the referee began consulting with his assistant.
They eventually decided to award two red cards - for Farense's Tomane and Al-Ittihad's Farhah Al Shamrani.
In addition to ugly scenes unfolding on the pitch, brawls also broke out in the stands.
Following the unsavoury events, the referee decided to end the contest in the 87th minute.
After the match, Al-Ittihad confirmed that everyone from their party had come out of the incident unscathed.
In a statement, they wrote: "CEO Mr. Domingos Oliveira has called for a review of events during the friendly game against Farense, which caused the match to be halted before its conclusion.
"He reassures fans that all team members are safe and have returned to their accommodations in the Algarve, Portugal."
In addition to Benzema, Al-Ittihad fielded new signing Moussa Diaby, former Liverpool star Fabinho and ex-Celtic hero Jota.
Meanwhile, Farense had Sheffield Wednesday old boy Marco Matias among their ranks.