Football Association ban players and coaches betting

The Football Association (FA) has introduced new rules that prevent players and coaches from betting on any football globally, as part of the fight against match-fixing, according to the FA General Secretary, Alex Horne.

All footballers from the top eight tiers of English football are now prohibited from betting on the game under new rules that came in on Friday.

Horne said: “We are really proud of the integrity of the game in this country and it is really important that people trust the integrity of what is happening on the pitch.

“There have been some cases and prosecutions [for match-fixing] in this country and we don’t want to see it.

“We want to keep our message as simple as possible – and it cannot be more simple that as a player you cannot bet at all on football.”

In addition to footballers, employees of football clubs, as well as match officials are also restricted by the new rules. This will prevent them gambling on any football-related matters, including results, goal scorers, in-game play, player transfers, manager changes or promotions and relegations.

The regulation will be laid out to all clubs by the Football Association, and they have also produced a number of educational videos for teams.

The change in rules affects stakeholders and players in clubs from the Premier League down to the Northern and Southern Isthmian Leagues.

The rules apply to any bet that is made in person, whether online, on the telephone or with friends.

Participants are also prohibited from instructing any third party to place any bet on their behalf.

Before the rule change, participants were stopped from betting on a match or competition in which they were involved or could influence, but could still bet within the industry.

Tottenham’s Andros Townsend, Cameron Jerome – on loan at Crystal Palace from Stoke last season – and Dan Gosling, who has joined Bournemouth this summer, are among those who have breached current betting regulations.

Townsend was fined £18,000 by the FA in June 2013, striker Jerome £50,000 last August and midfielder Gosling £30,000 in March.