THE FUSE

Matthew Cresswell, BBC Sport England and Adrian Harms, BBC Radio Sussex commentator

Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace says he expects the club to face sanctions after falling into financial difficulty and admits they could face a points deduction.

Farbrace told BBC Sussex that the club were in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to find some "help and support for the club financially".

Last week, a report in The Guardian claimed Sussex have been placed into special measures for financial mismanagement and alleged breaches of sustainability regulations.

In a letter to Sussex members, seen by the BBC, interim chief executive Mark West said he was "confident of putting the club on a more stable footing".

"The club has found itself in a difficult situation financially," said Farbrace. "It's a dreadful shame we're in this position.

"There's obviously talk of a points deduction, there's talk of other sanctions against the club but until we know for definite what they are, there's no point speculating on what they're going to be until we know for definite what they are.

"And then we've got to find a way to deal with them."

Sussex achieved an impressive fourth-placed finish last year after achieving promotion to County Championship Division One in 2024.

And despite the uncertainly of the situation, Farbrace has called on his players to remain concentrated on the new season, which starts on Friday, 3 April when his side travel to newly promoted Leicestershire.

"There's no point whinging about it, we've got to hold our hands up and say we've obviously made mistakes," said Farbrace.

"Therefore we've got to own it and deal with it and find the best way to own whatever comes our way.

"I chatted to the players over the last three or four weeks and made sure that they're up to speed. The players, the coaching staff, the medical team - I've kept them up to date because it's the right thing to do.

"They had a two-week window over the Christmas period to get it out of their system and when we started on 5 January, full-time, everything was focused towards this season."

Sanctions of this kind in county cricket are rare. The last club to be placed under special measures by the ECB was Middlesex in 2023.

They were fined £50,000 and received a suspended points deduction - equivalent to the maximum points for one win in each of the County Championship, the Metro Bank One-Day Cup and Vitality T20 Blast - until 31 October 2025.

BBC Sport understands Sussex are likely to receive a similar punishment this coming season, although at this stage it is unclear how many points this would involve.

"I think it's a huge disappointment, it's very frustrating and obviously it effects not just all of us that work here but it effects the players enormously – if it does come to a points deduction," Farbrace said.

"It effects the members and spectators, supporters who come to watch the team, and obviously has a wider knock-on effect to sponsors, partners and everybody else associated with the club.

"On the field, the last three years we've made great strides and if financially we're not in a great shape, then everybody suffers."