Suspicious transfer betting

England international Kieran Trippier has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association (FA) for allegedly breaching betting rules.

The specific nature of these charges concerns betting activity that allegedly took place at the time of Trippier moving from Tottenham Hotspur to Atletico Madrid in July 2019 for ￡21.7m ($27.15m).

accused Trippier of breaching Rule E8(1)(a)(ii) and Rule E8(1)(b) of The FA’s Betting Rules

The FA has accused Trippier of breaching Rule E8(1)(a)(ii) and Rule E8(1)(b) of The FA’s Betting Rules. Trippier has until May 18 to reply.

Accused of breaching two rules

Rule E8(1)(a) says that participants in the game of soccer cannot directly or indirectly lead to a person betting on any aspect of a soccer game, competition, or other matters relating to the sport, including the employment of managers and the transfer of players.?

Rule E8(1)(b) relates to a participant in the game of soccer providing information to a person through his/her position in the sport and is not publicly available. This rule is then breached if the person receiving the information uses it to place bets. 

Trippier denies ever profiting from soccer betting or allowing others to profit as a result of information he provided. The 29-year-old said: “I have fully complied with the FA’s investigation over the past several months on a voluntary basis and will continue to do so.”

Latest soccer star to be charged

This is a similar case to that of former England international Daniel Sturridge. The striker was fined ￡150,000 ($187,500) and banned for four months after breaching FA betting rules in 2019. A Regulatory Commission ruled that the former England striker told his brother to place a bet on a possible transfer to Sevilla.?

A number of other notable players, former players, and coaches have been involved in any alleged illegal betting activity in British soccer in recent times. As well as Sturridge and Trippier, the likes of Paul Scholes, Brian Rice, and Joey Barton have all been charged with breaching betting rules.