Foxes should 'take medicine' and move on - Fryatt

Leicester City “should take their medicine” and accept their six-point deduction for breaking spending rules so they can focus on avoiding Championship relegation, says former Foxes striker Matty Fryatt.

The punishment handed down on Thursday, relating to breaches of profit and sustainability rules (PSR) in the three years up to 2023-24, has dropped the East Midlands club to 20th spot and level on points with West Bromwich Albion who sit in the drop zone.

A points penalty had long been expected, with Leicester reporting losses of more than £201m over the three-year period when PSR permitted them to lose no more than £83m.

Fryatt, who was Leicester’s top scorer when they won promotion from League One in 2009, says “reality has kicked in” at the Foxes after months of uncertainty.

“At least Leicester know the outcome right now,” Fryatt told BBC Radio Leicester.

“It’s six points, deal with it and focus purely on the football side of it. It’s a case of take your medicine. They should just move on from it.”

Leicester described the punishment as “disproportionate” and added that they would consider their options with an appeals process open to them.

Fryatt had “expected worse” for Leicester, saying he anticipated a double-figure points punishment for his former club.

The maximum penalty that could have been imposed was 12 points, but it is understood that the Premier League had been pushing for 20 points to be docked because of aggravated breaches.

The Foxes have been embroiled in legal battles with footballing authorities over PSR violations for a number of years.

Leicester previously – and successfully – defended themselves against charges handed down in March 2024.

By May of the following year, they were charged again by the Premier League, and it was not until late November 2025 that a week-long hearing took place. It then took more than two months for the independent commission to deliver its findings and for the penalty to be imposed.

Throughout that time, Leicester struggled on the pitch.

They were relegated from the top flight for the second time in three years last term, meaning the 10-year anniversary of their astonishing Premier League title win would be spent playing in the second tier.

While promotion was the ambition this season, they find themselves without a permanent manager – following the sacking of Marti Cifuentes – and were battling in the bottom half of the Championship table even before the points were deducted.

Fryatt says the lowly position that Leicester are now in should be “a wake-up call”.

“If they didn’t know they were in a scrap before, they certainly do now,” he said.

“They have got to come together, bring fight and determination to get out of this position.

“It might be that the players come together and this galvanises them. It might be the team spirit they need and motivation, thinking ‘everyone is against us’ and it’s a siege mentality.”

‘Now in a true relegation scrap’

Analysis – Owynn Palmer-Atkin, BBC Radio Leicester’s Foxes commentator

As Leicester City “consider their options” following their six-point deduction, many will be wondering what that means – and what comes next for their football club.

The deduction has now thrown the club into a true relegation scrap at the bottom of the second tier.

Leicester City, the EFL and the Premier League can all appeal against the verdict from the independent commission should they wish to – with the Premier League initally wanting a 20-point deduction for the Foxes’ breach of PSR/P&S rules.

There are questions, once again, about the wording of the law in question of which the Foxes have been punished, which states it isn’t intended for retrospective punishment.

So, is it better for Leicester City to accept the six-point deduction and accept their fate as a side battling for survival in the Championship, whilst knowing exactly where they stand? Or, do they appeal with the hope of having the deduction at least reduced, but potentially increased, whilst continuing to put uncertainty on their true position in the Championship?

It’s a delicate situation, and one where they must proceed with caution.

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