Tamil Nadu and Mizoram footballers during the fight and (below) doctors attend to an injured Mizoram player at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, May 21: Instead of kicking the ball, they kicked each other. An on-field brawl erupted during a Santosh Trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Mizoram at the Kalinga Stadium here, interrupting the game for nearly four minutes.

The fight began in the 69th minute of the match after Mizoram player Lalchhawnkima was shown the red card for blocking a free-kick with his hands.

He and his teammates protested and got into an argument with the referee. The scoreline read 2-2 at that stage. Within seconds, some of the Mizoram players went berserk kicking and slapping the Tamil Nadu team members crowding around them.

The football pitch turned into a virtual battlefield as players sitting in the dugouts of both teams and their officials also joined in. Chaos reigned on the field for the next four minutes.

The situation was brought under control after the match officials intervened and the referee gave marching orders to two players from each team for their unruly behaviour. “The disciplinary committee will take a decision on the quantum of punishment. Chances are that the players shown the red card might not be allowed to play the next match,” said a senior official supervising the game, on condition of anonymity.

“It all happened in the heat of the moment but things should not have gone this far. We have a feeling that one of our players, R. Naveen Kumar, who was issued a red card by the referee, should not have been dealt with in such a harsh matter as he did not hit anyone,” said Syed Sabir Pasha, the Tamil Nadu coach.

Pasha said the team would suffer if the two players shown the red card today were not allowed to play the next game on May 23. “Our next match is against the Railways and crucial to our prospects in the tournament. It would be unfortunate if Naveen, who became an unsuspecting victim of today’s violence, has to sit out,” said the coach.

Mizoram team coach Joseph Lalsangzuala felt that the match referee should take the blame for what happened on the ground today. “The blocking of the ball was purely accidental and should have been seen that way. The referee played a real spoilsport. One of our players ended up with a bloody nose,” the coach said.

The brawl notwithstanding, it was Tamil Nadu that had the last laugh as the match ended 4-3 in their favour.