Betting in sports, especially in football, has become more common even among top professional football players in Europe.
However, some players across Europe have found themselves involved in illegal betting scandals in recent times.
These players are either directly or indirectly involved in a betting scandal.
DAILY POST reports that the regulations of the English FA and football generally are clear regarding players and illegal betting.
The rules strictly prohibited players from making bets for themselves or getting other people like family members and friends to make bet/bets on them.
It also stopped players from disclosing uncommon information to others for them to gain the upper hand.
But most recently, Super Eagles and Udinese goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, was involved in a betting scandal.
The Nigerian could be banned for up to four years if he is found guilty of illegal betting.
The 25-year-old is currently under watch for betting on his yellow card in a match against Lazio last March.
Okoye is being investigated by the Udine Prosecutor’s Office for a flow of anomalous bets during Lazio’s home clash with Udinese.
The shot-stopper received a yellow card for time-wasting after 64 minutes of the encounter.
The match eventually ended 2-1 in favor of Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico.
However, apart from Okoye’s latest betting scandal, there have been other recent cases involving the likes of Al-Ahli’s Ivan Toney, Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali, Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli, Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier, Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge, among others, who have been accused of breaching betting rules.
DAILY POST reports that Tonali was banned from playing football for ten months due to a betting scandal he was involved in during his time at AC Milan.
The midfielder was also mandated to participate in a rehabilitation program and several public appearances for eight months.
As for Fagioli, the Juventus midfielder suffered the same fate as Tonali, with their cases being revealed simultaneously.
Fagioli was handed a seven-month ban over his connection with an inquiry into unlawful betting and was also fined €12,50.
Similarly, Trippier was banned from football for ten weeks and was also fined £70,000 after he informed some of his friends of his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Atletico Madrid in 2019 before it was made official.
One of his friends took advantage of the information to make a significant financial gain.
On his part, Toney received an eight-month suspension for violating betting regulations during his time at Brentford.
The England striker admitted to 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules, which prohibit players from wagering on football matches.
Finally, Sturridge received a four-month ban in 2020 for breaching betting rules.
He was also fined £150,000 after he was found guilty of providing his brother with insider information on a potential move to Sevilla back in 2018, which was used for betting.
Speaking with DAILY POST on Monday, respected journalist, Femi Fabunmi, insisted that the rule is a measure to prevent external factors from influencing football.
“The rules are very clear- no active player should be seen betting whether directly or indirectly,” Fabunmi told DAILY POST.
“This rule is a measure to prevent external factors from influencing the beautiful game of football.
“Many players have been penalized for being involved in betting.
“For Okoye, investigations are still ongoing but he has said that his hands are clean.
“Ivan Toney and Sandro have paid their price for their involvement in betting.
“One thing is sure- top 5 European leagues do not joke with players’ involvement in betting,” he added.
Speaking also with DAILY POST, Idris Musa Adinoyi, Dawaki Rangers FC captain, said any player found guilty of illegal betting should dance to the tune of the music.
“As a professional athlete, there are certain ethics expected to be upheld and the betting scandal is definitely not one of them,” Adinoyi said.
“Any player or athlete found guilty of such fraud after a conclusive investigation should definitively be made to dance to the tune of the music he began playing.
“It is sad to learn about Maduka Okoye’s investigation but the law must take its course and if found guilty, I’d say he deserves whatever punishment.
“Unprofessional behaviors need to be cleansed thoroughly for the spirit of sportsmanship to shine brightly,” he stated.
