RHYL FC has been fined by the FAW over an on-pitch battle that broke out during a ‘friendly’ game against a Leeds United side.

The club has been hit with a £200 penalty for ‘bringing the game into disrepute’, and two players received three-match bans.

But Leeds United has only been given a ‘warning’ by the English FA.

The on-pitch violence flared during a match between Rhyl and the Leeds United under-23 team.

The game had to be abandoned as fists flew and players pushed and shoved each other.

Today, Rhyl chairman Paul Higginson said he believed the decision by the FA was unjust towards his team.

In response, it released previously unseen footage of the scuffle, which it said showed the incident was not one-sided.

The midweek match played on November 21 made national headlines after spectator John Wilson provided footage of a second-half melee involving both sets of players.

After Leeds under-23s coach Carlos Corberan withdrew his players from the field, hundreds took to social media to express their disgust, with Rhyl copping the worst of the criticism.

In the new footage, shot by a student who works as a sports analyst at Rhyl FC, Leeds player Bryce Hosannah is shown swinging arms and elbows at Rhyl’s Jason Jeffries, who sustained facial injuries as a result.

The brawl between Rhyl FC and Leeds United XI
The brawl between Rhyl FC and Leeds United XI

Jeffries raised his hand in defence to Hosannah, who stumbles backwards, and a posse of Leeds players then race from their bench.

Mr Higginson said: “We accept the FAW’s decisions, but the English FA’s decision puzzles me. It does seem that just one side has been punished appropriately.

“The FA’s decision doesn’t make sense to me when it was one of our players who ended up injured and the Leeds bench sparked off and inflamed the situation.

“What happened that night is certainly not what was reported in the media at the time, which cast Rhyl in an unfair, bad light.”

Jason Jeffries and Tony Davies received three-match bans for violent conduct for their part in the fracas.