Brentford boss calls for clearer COVID protocols as Omicron threatens to cause Premier League chaos

Michael Graham
14 December 2021

Frank confident Premier League can avoid shutdown but wants criteria for postponements established as quickly as possible.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has demanded more clarity from the Premier League over COVID-19 protocols following the postponement of their match against Manchester United.

The teams were due to meet on Tuesday night at the Brentford Community Stadium, but a COVID-19 outbreak at Man Utd has prompted the postponement.

Tottenham also had to reschedule their match against Brighton last week due to COVID, and with the new Omicron variant running rampant, it seems likely there will be more postponements to come.

Currently, there is no official threshold for the number of positive cases that would cause a game to be called off, and Frank would like to see that addressed.

"It's a very tricky situation," Frank said. "I think it's very important the Premier League and all of us are following normal society rules and restrictions. That's very important.

"And then if we can make it very clear what the rules are to cancel a game that would be good."

As the Omicron variant contributes to another rise in infection rates and several clubs report problems, there are fears of a difficult winter ahead.

But Frank expressed confidence the Premier League would not face a stoppage as he revealed he expected his squad to receive their booster jabs soon as the rollout is accelerated.

"I am 100 per cent sure the Premier League will continue through the winter," Frank said. "I have no doubt about that. That's why we have the vaccine and the boosters. We will continue, no doubt about that.

"Honestly, I'm pretty sure we're close to giving the players their booster jabs. I don't know, but I know we have a lot of players vaccinated and we heard on the radio about there soon being one million jabs a day. That's a lot so I guess that's also for our players."