According to information unveiled by the Football Association (FA) and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), the former defender of Lincoln City FC Bradley Wood got suspended for six years by the football’s sport’s governing body. The ruling was related to the FA Cup 5th Round match between Lincoln City FC and Burnley in 2017.
Wood was charged by the Football Association with a total of 25 offences, with him banned from football and all football-related activity from March 9th 2018 to March 8th 2024. The FA action was taken as a result of the collaboration between the Association, the Sports Betting Intelligence Unit of the UK Gambling Commission and the betting industry.
The investigation found out that the defender committed 25 breaches of the Integrity and Betting Rules of the Football Association. He has admitted the 22 charges of conduct which violated FA Rule E8(1)(a)(i) as well as one charge of conduct which violated FA Rule E8(b).
The FA worked in partnership with a company specialising in bet monitoring which analyses global markets offered on all English matches in order to identify unusual odds movement in case they are any. The investigation proved that Bradley Wood has taken part in such activities in contradiction with the FA Rules.
Football Players and Gambling Addiction
Richard Watson, the acting Executive Director of the UKGC, said that professional football players as well as all other athletes must pay attention to the ban imposed on Bradley Wood by the Football Association. He also said that such a clear breach of the FA rules was not acceptable, as it hurt the integrity of sport. As he said, the sports governing bodies, the gambling industry and the wider public could join forces in order to keep criminal activity out of British sports and gambling sector.
The Football Association, on the other hand, said that it intends to continue working closely with the UKGC and various law enforcement agencies, such as the National Crime Agency, as well as with FIFA and UEFA to share data and intelligence.
As Casino Guardian has previously reported, many professional athletes, and especially football players have been facing problem gambling issues recently. The former midfielder Joey Barton, who has confessed facing a gambling problem himself, was also suspended from football. The 35-year-old former player of Newcastle and Manchester City made some claims that the FA laws have been violated by no less than the half professional football players, with them betting on football matches on a regular basis.
The former midfielder Kieron Dyer also made some scandalous revelations in his autobiography, blaming widespread gambling addiction for influencing the performance of the National football team of England during the Euro 2004 in Portugal. According to Dyer, at that time gambling among English football players have completely got out of control.
- Author
Daniel Williams
