Sheffield Wednesday '˜friendly' at Mansfield Town anything but as FA investigate

A mass brawl involving most of the 22 players on the field broke out at the final whistle on Tuesday night as Fernando Forestieri looked to throw a punch at Stags defender Calum Butcher.

Tom Lees, the Wednesday defender, also appeared to be struck in the contretemps before stewards moved in to separate the two warring parties.

Under FA rules governing “mass confrontations”, clubs can be fined if found guilty. Charges are usually made within three days of the alleged offence.

The unseemly clash broke out after Forestieri had earlier been booked following a tangle with Krystian Pearce.

Both managers were taken by surprise as the disorder broke out, Owls chief Jos Luhukay admitting: “I’ve never seen anything like that in a friendly. It was short but it was an explosion.”

David Flitcroft, the former Barnsley manager now in charge at Field Mill, added: “In a pre-season game there are no points to play for (but) you could really feel it boiling over.

“Calum Butcher has a cut lip. He has been punched in the face. You don’t want to see scenes like that at any football game but we will get to the bottom of it.”