Thomas Frank makes points deduction request but insists he 'doesn't care' how many Brentford's rivals may lose
Brentford boss Thomas Frank has issued a clear demand for the process which could see both Nottingham Forest and Everton deducted points for financial rule breaches, amid their relegation fight with the Bees.
Everton have already seen a ten-point deduction reduced to six this season, on appeal, and could yet face further sanctions for their failure to meet last season’s profit and sustainability guidelines. Forest could also be docked points when their hearing takes place later this month.
Any points deductions could have a significant impact on the Premier League relegation fight, with 16th-place Brentford five points clear of the dropzone while sandwiched between Forest and Everton in the table.
“For me, it’s very simple: if you break the rules, there needs to be sanction — end of discussion”, Frank said on Friday.
“That’s the society we’re living in, that’s the football world we’re living in — boom. How much, how little? There are much more clever guys than me. Luckily they take care of that and they should know what kind of sanction it should be.
“If it’s two points, six points, ten points, 20 points, I don’t care — that’s up to them. I’m here to try to coach a football team and try to win a few more football matches.
“The only thing I would say is Nottingham [Forest] and Everton will, with what you read, get a points deduction in the near future. They will appeal it, and then the result of that appeal we need to know before the end of the season, for everyone involved, especially for Nottingham and Everton.”
Meanwhile, the Bees host Chelsea on Saturday and are hoping to end a period of difficult form. But Frank will be forced to shuffle his pack after Ben Mee suffered a season-ending ankle fracture in Monday night’s 4-2 defeat at West Ham.
“More negative [news],” he said when discussing squad fitness. “It’s easier to continue down that route. Unfortunately Ben Mee is injured and is out for the rest of the season, so that is just our entire back four from last season that is out.”
Frank added: “We’ve had far too many injuries, we’ve been very unlucky. We’ve actually had more than ten surgeries this season. It’s usually two or three you have.”