Brentford boss Thomas Frank said his goalkeeping coach was injured after a pre-match altercation with a Nottingham Forest groundsman.
Frank claimed Manu Sotelo has marks on him after an argument with a member of the groundstaff before kick-off of the 2-2 draw and accused Forest of disrupting their pre-match warm-up. NottinghamshireLive understands Forest have conducted an early investigation and deemed Brentford to be at fault for breaching Premier League rules about how long teams can use the penalty area for during the warm-up.
The member of the groundstaff, who is understood to have felt threatened, went on to the pitch to move them on, but disrupted a drill. The Football Association is aware of the incident and awaits Andre Marriner’s official report, with the referee intervening at the time.
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Frank said: “It surprised me a little bit, not that I am an experienced, experienced Premier League manager, but in all my time in football and especially all my time in the Premier League I have never, ever, ever seen a groundsman walking around in the middle of our warm-up doing things.
“I don’t know if that is a coincidence, but it just surprised me very much. I have never seen that. I hope they do that every time, against Liverpool and West Ham.
“He got a mark. I don’t know what, something gave him a mark and I have even got a picture. I have a bit of a temper so I am not an angel all of the time and I try to be the best version but my goalkeeping coach is the most down-to-earth guy, there must be something really p****** him off.
“I just hope everyone is looking into it. There must be cameras. I don’t know if you have seen it before or if it is a common thing.”
Forest boss Steve Cooper said he was aware of the incident but did not want to comment. Meanwhile, it is understood the Reds are surprised Brentford have chosen to make an issue of it publicly with the manager's comments, and believe it is clear from their initial investigation and video footage that the groundsman is not at fault.
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