The Football Association (FA) in England is probing a yellow card shown to an Arsenal player during an English Premier League (EPL) match this season following allegations of suspicious betting patterns.
There was a report by bookmakers which raised concerns with the FA after an unusual amount of money was placed on a Gunners player being cautioned during a game.
An FA statement said: “The FA is aware of the matter in question and is looking into it.”
It is understood that although the governing body is looking into the matter, it is not a formal investigation at this time.
Arsenal have declined to comment.
Spot-betting allows punters to place bets on specific details of matches —— such as bookings, or the number of corner-kicks —— rather than the overall outcome of a game.
In April 2018, defender Bradley Wood was banned from playing for six years after twice getting intentionally booked during Lincoln’s FA Cup run the previous season.
Wood received a five-year ban for match-fixing offences, and a further 12-month suspension after admitting 22 charges of betting on the outcome of matches and one charge of passing on information.
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In September 2009, former Southampton and England midfielder Matt Le Tissier published an autobiography in which he revealed he had placed a spread bet.
The bet was on the timing of the first throw-in in a match in which he played.
Le Tissier tried to over-hit a pass to team-mate Neil Shipperley to force a throw-in, but failed to get the ball out of play.
The matter was referred to Hampshire Police but the Crown Prosecution Service elected not to pursue a case.(dpa/NAN)
