FA forgo penalisation for sports betting breach

An unidentified top-flight football manager has escaped significant legal penalisation after it was discovered that the individual gambled nearly £1 million.

According to the Athletic, the manager who currently plies his trade within the British Football League system suffers from a gambling addiction and in fact owns 3 betting accounts. 

The Football Association (FA) has issued a formal warning to the individual in question but no further actions have been taken as a majority of the bets were placed on horse racing.

Nonetheless, 28 bets were still discovered to have been placed in relation to association football. 

The manager’s betting activities first became known when he accused former footballers Alan Rogers and Steve Jennings of blackmail.

Blackmail

The issue subsequently reached the court where the manager was granted the anonymity that remains in place today. The evidence submitted to the court at the time showed that he had gambled a total of £879,000 over a 2-year period, which accrued £270,000 in losses.

As a result former Nottingham Forest player, Rogers, was accused of two singular counts of blackmail and tampering with evidence respectively.

More severe however, was Jennings’ charges of peverting justice and two counts of blackmail. 

Thes charges would never come to fruition in any case as they were relieved when the manager in question opted not to submit evidence to the court. 

FA judgement

Subsequent to the court case, the FA investigated all the evidence submitted to the court to adjudge any sporting punshiments required.

However, it appeared that only 3 football-related bets were placed after the imposition of the total ban against sports betting for all staff within the football league. 

This “low value” amount meant that the British governing body chose to forego any actions against the individual.

A statement on the matter from the FA read: 

“We take all allegations of potential betting breaches very seriously, and we conducted a full and thorough investigation into this matter. The last of these bets were placed in 2017, and none of them were in relation to clubs that the individual was involved with at the time. With all aspects fully considered, the case was closed, and the individual was issued with a formal warning.”

Get ready for SiGMA Curaçao

Happening in less than three weeks, this exciting event is set to take place from September 25th to 28th and is proudly hosted by the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with SiGMA Curaçao.

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of SiGMA Curaçao. You’ll have the chance to delve into the latest developments in gambling regulations, explore the vibrant iGaming landscape, and network with influential figures in Curacao’s industry.