FA suspends betting for former Scottish International player

Added: January 26, 2023

The Football Association of England suspended the activity of Scottish player Chris Maguire who had earlier been fined for violating sports betting rules.

Maguire was notified about the issue in August 2022 after the FA suggested that during the period from March 2017 to February 2022, he betted 52 times.

The FA quoted Rule E8 which says that football players, trainers, match officials, or any other football representatives are forbidden to place bets anywhere around the world. Should someone violate this regulation, they’ll be subject to termination of activity.

The commission has mentioned in the documentation that the staff at a Lincoln betshop first noticed him placing bets in the period when he was playing for Lincoln. The football player wagered overall six times during that period.

Apart from that, the FA checked with a number of bookmakers and found out that Maguire was registered at a number of other betshops. The football player confessed to having a betting account in SkyBet. However, he has mentioned that he betted just a few times on golf and horse races.

Maguire didn’t confirm the fact of having wagered three times from 2016 to 2017. What he actually admitted is having wagered 50 pounds in 2021. However, he said that was an error and so, he tried to withdraw his money ASAP.

In the long run, the FA suggested that the football player only wagered ten times. Maguire was fined 750 pounds. The football player made an appeal again, as a result of which the number of the suggested bets was reduced again. However, the commission didn’t withdraw its charges stating that the initial decision should be maintained. These cases didn’t pass on without affecting the player’s career. Following all these procedures, the football player had to leave the club in September.