THE Football Association is offering to put on gambling awareness workshops to any clubs concerned that their players or managers are betting or exchanging insider information in the wake of our revelations last weekend.
The NLP reported that Frome Town manager Nick Bunyard – who has just been banned for three years after betting on his own teams to lose – believes “99 per cent” of players he has managed, since strict betting rules were introduced, easily flout them on a regular basis.
He added that many of his players checked their handsets at half-time to discover how their accumulators were progressing and swapped team information on message group WhatsApp.
FA rules state no person attached to a club (from Step 4 above) can bet on any level of the game and the Head of Integrity at The FA, Jenni Kennedy, says the only way to protect the integrity of the game is for football to work together.
Protection
Our story has caused concern from within the game that betting remains out of control, but the governing body says only a united front will help safeguard the sport.
Kennedy said: “The FA's position is very clear: any participant or any active member of a football club in any capacity from Step 4 upward cannot bet on football. We are not the morality police. We are not saying gambling is wrong. What we are saying is that if you want to bet, bet on the horses or on the outcome of X Factor, and not football if you are involved at a club.
“We were surprised to read a lot of what Mr Bunyard was saying. We cannot comment on his case as an appeal date has yet to expire, but it is important to remember the facts.
“He placed 97 bets in total and 62 per cent of those bets were for either Frome Town or Paulton Rovers, the two clubs he managed, to lose. He says he was witness to players betting on matches and exchanging information. Managers have a significant role to play in this battle and so do clubs and the PFA. Mr Bunyard says he at no point wanted his team to lose despite putting a bet on them to do so. He was in charge of his team and the tactics. It's a serious offence with wide-reaching consequences.
“We continue to educate and there's a need for players to understand why the rules are in place. It's a combined approach and we are actively trying to support clubs. But it can't just be us, the game has to protect itself.”
The FA will continue to reach out as they stand by the blanket betting ban on all levels of the games. The guidelines changed in 2014 meaning, for example, that a player competing in the Evo-Stik NPL North cannot place money on the outcome of the World Cup final. Their approach has been described as “draconian”.
Kennedy explained: “If there is a problem, we invite managers, directors, chairmen and officials to come and talk to us. We also offer workshops to clubs who have concerns. We will visit and answers any questions players or officials may have. I would rather sit down with players and assist in making things clearer than spend my time sending out charge letters.”
