The FA Proposed a Total Ban on Football Betting for All Involved Parties

The FA Council to vote on set of new rules and regulations after yet another case of betting rules breach.

The story of Ronnie Moore, Tranmere manager who admitted betting on football in breach of current regulations, has lead the FA to work hard on changing the rules. British gambling laws will be soon amended to include a total betting ban involving all club employees and related people.

The Football Association is in the final stages of submitting a proposal to introduce a blanket ban for those football-related employees who wish to bet on sports in the UK. Naturally, the new rules and regulations are aiming to tackle the corruption and match-fixing, which some fear still takes place in British football.

The details of the ban

The new set of rules and regulations is expected to be approved by the FA Council as early as this week. The proposed ban will not only apply to footballers and managers, but other members of the staff as well. It will go all the way down to the eighth tier of the game, not just the top divisions.

The vote in the Council is scheduled for Wednesday. The move was expedited after Tranmere Rovers manager, Ronnie Moore, became the latest renowned figure to be involved in breaching the FA rules. Moore is currently facing a life-time ban from sports, although the decision on his actions is not yet final.

A little history

Ronnie Moore admitted to breaching the regulations, which prevent participants of a given game from betting on any event their team participates in a given season. Moore’s case is not a stand-alone event.

FA to vote on changes to its regulations

• Betting and match-fixing scandals led to FA rethinking its rules and regulations

• Ban on all betting under British gambling laws for the involved parties is proposed

• The FA Council to vote on the matter this week

Last year, there has been a wealth of occasions where the FA rules have been breached. A number of renowned and less so football-related people have admitted to breaking the regulations.

Back in 2009 Lord Triesman, FA Council chairman at the time, has already proposed changing the FA regulations to address the issue, but it was disregarded at the time. It seems that now the FA will be successful in applying a stricter regime.

Last year, Tottenham Hotspur and England winger, Andros Townsend, was revealed to have broken the FA rules on betting. He was later followed by Cameron Jerome of Stoke City, and Dan Gosling of Newcastle United. Naturally, involvement in betting by the Premier League players is highly alarming.

Other prospects of the ban

While preventing involved parties from betting on their own sports seems like a natural idea, the blanket ban actually has other purposes as well. Proponents of the ban suggest that it will stop players from going into heavy debts following betting activities. Owing money could make them more vulnerable to match-fixers, and thus taint the fairness of the game.

The ban will also put a stop on players personally promotion betting operators, providing their services on the British wagering market. The clubs and football organizations themselves will still be able to sign sponsorship agreements with bookmakers and other industry players.

Once the new regulations are approved by the FA Council, the ban will still need approval by the governing organization’s shareholders before coming into force. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in May.

Match-fixing investigations

Players and managers who have already admitted to breaching the betting rules are only a tip of the iceberg. The Telegraph has conducted a series of investigations into match-fixing in British football. Last month five men have denied charges of match-fixing before the Birmingham Crow Court.

Last week 13 former and current players were arrested in the biggest alleged fixing scandal in years. The players in question have denied breaching the rules, but the fact that such cases exist was enough for the FA to launch its own investigation of the matter and expedite the new rules and regulations approval.

There are also proposals to provide incentives for people to come forward and report on any suspicious match-fixing related activities. Reduced sentences for crucial information which leads to prosecution, and amnesties to those who can justify not coming forward straight after being approached by the fixers, are being discussed.

Other measures, which can be introduced soon, can include punishment for clubs in case more than one of their players are found guilty of breaching the regulations. These will only apply if the club’s management and officials could’ve taken steps to prevent match-fixing, but didn’t do so.

Another proposal is to make integrity training a part of compulsory conditions for players to join the British football leagues. It remains to be seen what parts of the proposed regulations will be approved by the FA Council and subsequently by the organization’s shareholders.