Former England and Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has issued an apology after facing a monetary fine of £8,000 imposed by the Football Association (FA) for violating gambling rules at the time he was a co-owner of Salford City F.C.
In an official statement released on June 19th, Scholes shared that he accepted the FA ruling and apologised for his wrongdoings. He further shared that he fully accepted the fine which the Football Association decided to impose on him, saying that he had not had any intention to violate the gambling rules.
Paul Scholes has been fined and warned as to his future conduct after admitting an FA misconduct charge in relation to betting. Full statement: https://t.co/v9ZQ3qeEPi. pic.twitter.com/XP49DtKvX1
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) June 19, 2019
A few months ago, the former football player faced allegations of participating in gambling operations. According to the charge, Scholes placed 140 bets worth £26,159 on football matches in the period from August 17th, 2015 to January 12th, 2019. At the time, he was co-owner of Salford City, which competes in the National League. The net profit generated by the ex-midfielder over the two-and-a-half year period amounted to £5,831.
As investigation results showed, none of the above-mentioned bets was related in any way to Salford City. However, Scholes was found to have placed wagers on football matches involving Valencia and Manchester United at a time when his former associates were working at the two clubs.
Scholes Confessed Making Bets But Said It Was a Mistake
As Scholes explained in his statement, he had wrongly believed that there would have not been any problem with placing bets on football as long as there had been no personal connection between him and any of the matches.
The governing body of association football in England became aware of Paul Scholes’ gambling habits after the bookmaker Paddy Power informed it of his betting history. Another large bookmaker in the UK, bet365, has also provided some information on the matter, so an investigation was launched by the FA.
According to the Football Association’s findings, the former midfielder placed a total of eight bets on Manchester United at a time when his Salford City colleagues Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs were working at the club. Scholes also placed a bet on Valencia at a time when Gary Neville was working as the club’s head coach, and Phil Neville being an assistant.
Apart from this, the FA found that two bets on matches involving Oldham Athletic were placed by Scholes at the beginning of 2019. Then, in February 2019, Scholes was appointed as the manager of the club but lasted only 31 days in the job. During the investigation, the Football Association found no connection between the former football player and Oldham Athletic at the time when Scholes placed the bets.
The FA imposed stricter rules on gambling in 2013. It effectively banned any individuals involved in football from placing bets on the game, no matter if they are placing money on their club’s or any other club’s matches.
- Author
Daniel Williams
