Atletico Madrid defender, Kieran Trippier seems to have found himself on the wrong side of the law when his friends allegedly placed illegal bets during his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Atletico Madrid.
Unlike betting in online casino footballers are restricted from making bets on football games and even other related games. While the former Tottenham full-back denied the allegations, the FA has pressed charges against him for breaching betting rules.
His case centers on WhatsApp conversations between him and a group of friends where he revealed his plans to move to Atletico Madrid.
Though it is uncertain whether he is guilty or not, his case seems to have taken a familiar path. In 2019, former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was found guilty of breaching FA betting rules after a series of bets relating to his transfer from Liverpool in 2018.
The initial punishment was a six-week ban and a fine of £75,000 which was later upgraded to a four-month worldwide ban. This resulted in the termination of his contract with Turkish side Trabzonspor.
Trippier’s case seems to be heading in the same direction, as the FA has shown time and again that it would not hold back on players found guilty of breaching betting rules or any other rules set by the association.
The FA has released a statement detailing the charges that were breached by the English player and also, a deadline for him to respond to the charges.
The official statement by the FA is as follows.
Kieran Trippier has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules, specifically in relation to Rule E8(1)(a)(ii) and Rule E8(1)(b), during the period of July 2019. He has until 18 May 2020 to provide a response.
“Rule E8(1)(a): a participant shall not bet, either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause or enable any person to bet on – (i) the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in or in connection with, a football match or competition; or (ii) any other matter concerning or related to football anywhere in the world, including, for example and without limitation, the transfer of players, employment of managers, team selection or disciplinary matters.
“Rule E8(1)(b): where a participant provides to any other person any information relating to football which the participant has obtained by virtue of his or her position within the game and which is not publicly available at that time, the participant shall be in breach of this Rule where any of that information is used by that other person for, or in relation to, betting.”
While the initial official statement granted Trippier until May 18 to respond to the charges by the FA, it was later extended due to an appeal. Apparently, the English right-back had appealed to the chairman of an independent regulatory commission to extend the response deadline until June 26.
The extension means Trippier will be free to play for the Spanish side when La Liga resumes on June 11. The extension not only gives him extra playtime, but also several weeks to prepare his response to the charges
However, Trippier still maintains his stance that he did not breach FA betting rules by placing football-related bets. Still, the FA rules prohibit footballers from not only placing football-related bets whether in online casinos or brick and mortar casinos, but also from passing on information that could help others profits from betting.
According to FA, the English player infringed on these rules when he passed on information to his friends about his transfer from the Spurs to the Los Colchoneros.
