Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has said that he will personally pay the fine issued to the club following Sunday's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
In a statement issued following the game, the FA said: "Leeds United and Aston Villa have been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20.
"It is alleged they failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 72nd minute of the fixture. Both clubs have until 18:00 on Friday [03/05/2019] to provide a response."
The incident happened after Leeds took the lead in the second-half. Jonathan Kodjia was down injured but Leeds played on and Mateusz Klich scored from close range.
In the aftermath, Villa's Anwar El Ghazi was shown a red card. That's alongside yellows for Leeds striker Patrick Bamford and Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane.
💰 Marcelo Bielsa has said that he will personally pay Leeds' fine from the FA for failing to control their players in their recent draw against Aston Villa.
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) May 3, 2019
🗣️ He told his press conference "because it's my responsibility"
'El Loco' continues to deliver... 👌#LUFC pic.twitter.com/p3c7Ct6gbR
The red card has since been rescinded while Bamford was handed a two-match ban for successful deceiving a match official. Hourihane faces no further punishment despite appearing to strike Klich.
Speaking about the fine in his press conference on Friday, Bielsa admitted that he will personally pay the punishment handed to them from the authorities "because it's my responsibility."
"The sanction (the EFL) gave us of £200,000 - it is a financial sanction against the club, not against me, but I am responsible for it.
"That is why I paid it from my pocket, the financial sanction," he said.
It isn't the first time that Bielsa's side have been in trouble with the FA. They were handed a £200,000 penalty following the 'Spygate' scandal in January, where Leeds' Argentine coach admitted he sent 'spies' to watch every team in training this season.
The Whites were also handed a £5,500 fine for their part in a touchline brawl in the home win over Bolton in March.
Bielsa also discussed his future at the club, with speculation that he might leave with Leeds' Premier League hopes taking a hit in recent weeks.
He said last week that the decision whether he remained at Elland Road beyond the play-offs was not up to him and he refused to comment further.
But he offered Leeds fans hope he will remain at the club even if they failed to end their 15-year exile from the top flight.
"I never said that if we don't get promoted I won't carry on my work here," Bielsa said before his side play at Ipswich in their final game of the regular season on Sunday.
"I haven't said I was going to leave and I haven't said I was going to stay. I just said that it was not the moment to talk about the subject. I just said it's about receiving a proposal and then accepting the proposal or not.
"I would never say that if we stay in the Championship I won't stay here, otherwise you would say that the importance of this club is linked to the division they play in.
"For me this team and this club are important playing in the Premier League, the Championship or League One."
Bielsa signed a two-year contract with the option of a third year when he was appointed as Paul Heckingbottom's successor in June last year.
"I don't want people to think that I'm not thankful because if after the year I spent here I limited my valuation of Leeds United to the fact that they play in one division or another, it would mean I'm not thankful," he added.
Leeds will secure a third-placed finish behind promoted pair Norwich and Sheffield United if they take at least a point from their final game at Portman Road on Sunday, or if West Brom fail to win at play-off chasing Derby.
