Martin Samuel, a chief sports reporter at The Daily Mail, has called for changes to football’s individual betting market after Liverpool’s striker Daniel Sturridge recently faced Football Association’s allegations of misconduct. According to Mr. Samuel, UK bookmakers should be the ones to blame for creating problems for themselves by allowing people to place wagers on transfer moves.
As revealed by Casino Guardian at the time when the charges against Sturridge emerged, the striker was alleged of breaching rules of the English football’s governing body. The charges are related to the loan move of the player from Liverpool F.C. to West Bromwich Albion in January 2018 before getting back to Liverpool for the start of the new 2018/2019 season.
Now, his comeback could be ended abruptly, as Sturridge could face a lengthy ban from football after his cousin allegedly put a £10,000 bet that the forward would join Inter Milan. According to media reports, another family member of the striker also placed a significant wager on him going to West Bromwich. However, the proposed move to Inter Milan came to nothing, and rumour has it that it sparked a bitter argument within the Sturridge family.
Sounds a bullshit story. Bookies never accept that kind of figure for these types of bets.
— AW (@A_d_w_9) November 13, 2018
What is even worse, the FA has charged the player for allegedly breaching its rules after an investigation has been held on the matter.
Many Football Players Rumoured to Have Breached FA Rules
For some time now, gambling in football has grown to a widely discussed topic, with insiders claiming that a large number of professional players have been engaged in illegal gambling activities, despite the fact that FA rules fully ban them from gambling on games. In addition, players are not allowed to provide inside information on matches, managerial changes and player transfers to their friends and family members.
Currently, a probe has been carried out in order to find out whether the player broke betting rules or not. The investigation has been carried out for about eight months, media reports say, with the striker facing charges related to Rule E8(1)(a)(ii) and Rule E8(1)(b) of the FA code.
Former Manchester City player Daniel Sturridge charged by the FA. Even their former players are corrupt.
— LFC Stanley House (@LFCStanleyHouse) November 12, 2018
This has not been the only case of a football player being involved in a scandal associated with breaching the Football Association’s betting rules over the years. Sturridge has simply joined the ranks of other players who were accused of FA rules breaches, with the most recent case being the one of Joey Barton, who was imposed an 18-month suspension from the game in 2017, with the ban later reduced by almost five months. Barton faced allegations of placing bets on the game – something he is fully suspended from doing as a football player.
According to Mr. Samuel, the only solution for the local betting operators is to fully destroy individual markets which involve both football players and managers, as they are considered to be susceptible to corruption.
- Author
Olivia Cole
