Football match ends in violence with 7 red cards, bottles thrown and mass brawl

Violence broke out towards the end of a Welsh third-tier game, with the referee showing red cards to seven players after a 94th minute mass brawl.

Bangor 1876 secured a 2-1 victory over Rhyl 1879 in north Wales, but the scoreline only tells part of the story. One player and one manager had already been dismissed when tempers flared in second-half stoppage time, with reports of punches being thrown and bottles raining onto the pitch from the crowd.

Another five players were red carded for their part in the brawl, bringing the total up to seven. The Football Association of Wales is now set to investigate the incident, which overshadowed Bangor ending Rhyl's unbeaten start to the season.

According to the Daily Post, the brawl ensued after a corner had been awarded in stoppage time, with Bangor's Tom Clarke down on the turf. Clarke was one of the five men dismissed as fights broke out when players waited for a corner to be taken.

Rhyl manager Gareth Thomas and defender Miles Todd had earlier been shown red cards, and the referee opted to blow for full-time as violence escalated. Alex Jones, Jack Higgins, Aaron White, and Corey Jones were the other men dismissed as the official called an end to the game.

The match was played in the Ardal North West division, a newly formed league which forms the third tier of Welsh football. Corrig McGonigle scored the winner for Bangor, while Rhyl lost an unbeaten record which had seen boss Thomas named manager of the month in August and September.

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"The scenes that have followed at the end are not good enough," Thomas said, as reported by the BBC. "It's not what we've spent 20 months building-up this club to be and it's an absolute disgrace.

"Players can look at it, they've got to take responsibility. Not only have they let the club down, they've let hard-working volunteers down here, and that was not good enough and it's not something that will be carrying on at this club."

It was the first ever competitive game between the two phoenix clubs, both of whom were formed in the last five years. The FAW is set to investigate matters after footage was shared on social media.

According to Bangor 1876's match report, it took "several minutes" for calm to be restored after the brawl. In one video, a player can be seen swinging at an opponent after the referee has brandished a red card to a number of those involved in the violence.

"A disappointing loss for the club sees our unbeaten league run end from our club's inception," a Rhyl match report read. The condemnation from manager Thomas was published by the club, who were established in 2020.

Both teams will now await the results of the FAW investigation. It is unclear at this stage what the punishment will be.

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