Several high-profile Premier League footballers have been caught betting on games in violation of league rules. These footballers have faced fines and suspensions as a result of their actions.
In the world of football, betting is a serious offence. Several high-profile Premier League footballers have been caught betting on games, resulting in fines and suspensions. While some of these players have received lighter punishments, others have faced more severe consequences.
Ivan Toney
One such player is Ivan Toney, who was suspended for eight months after admitting to 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules. Toney was found to have bet on games involving his parent or loan club on 29 occasions, and he even tipped his side to lose 13 times.
Kieran Trippier
Another notable case is that of Kieran Trippier, who was banned from football for 10 weeks and fined £70,000 in December 2020. Trippier was charged with seven breaches of a regulation which forbids players from passing on inside information that is not publicly available. He was found to have advised a friend to “lump on” shortly before his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Atletico in the summer of 2019.
Joey Barton
Joey Barton is another player who has been punished for betting offences. He was twice banned during his playing career, once for one game and once for 18 months (which was later reduced to five months on appeal). Barton was accused of placing over 1,000 bets on football matches between 2006 and 2013.
Cameron Jerome
While some players have been able to escape bans, others have not been so lucky. Cameron Jerome, who was playing for Stoke City at the time, was fined £50,000 after admitting to breaching betting rules. While there was no evidence that Jerome betted on matches involving himself or his team, he was nevertheless warned about his future conduct.
Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge faced even more severe consequences for his betting offences. He was initially banned for six weeks after it emerged that he had provided his brother with inside information about a potential transfer from Liverpool to Sevilla the previous year. But the Football Association appealed the ban, arguing it was too lenient, and Sturridge saw his suspension increased to four months. The striker left Turkish side Trabzonspor as a result.
Matthew Le Tissier
Not all betting offences come to light during a player’s career. Matthew Le Tissier’s alleged betting offences only came to light after he had retired, and the source of the information was the man himself. In his autobiography, the Southampton legend admitted that he and some friends conspired to make money from a wager on the time of the first throw-in in a Premier League. The plan was hatched for Southampton’s game against Wimbledon in 1995 but it did not go to plan, and no one made any money. Le Tissier was cleared by Hampshire police in 2009.
Dan Gosling, Andros Townsend & Martin Demichelis
Other players who have been caught betting on games include Dan Gosling, Andros Townsend, and Martin Demichelis. Gosling was fined £30,000 for failing to follow betting regulations, while Townsend was banned for four months and fined £18,000. Demichelis avoided a ban but was fined just over £22,000.
These are just a few examples of Premier League footballers who have been caught betting on games. Betting is a serious offence in football, and players who are caught can face significant consequences.