Portsmouth defender Rasmus Nicolaisen has accepted an accusation from the English Football Association (FA) for violating betting rules.
The footballer received a £ 2,500 fine from a regulatory commission after he was accused of misconduct for breaching Rule E1 (B) in relation to 53 bets placed on football matches in November 2020.
None of the bets were on matches involving the League One club, the third division of English football. However, one of the moves occurred in one of the FA Cup matches, a competition in which your team participates.
Nicolaisen was interviewed by FA intelligence and integrity analyst Tom Astley. The player claimed that he was not informed of the rules prohibiting FA betting after settling with the new club. The defender also clarified that Danish rules allow athletes to bet, but not in their own games or tournaments.
The regulatory committee’s report pointed out that there is no indication that Nicolaisen is involved in match-fixing. In addition, the commission concluded that, having recently arrived on loan from a team from Denmark, Nicolaisen was unaware of the rules in force in English football. For this reason, the fine was considered an appropriate punishment.
An FA spokesman said: “Rasmus Nicolaisen was fined £ 2,500 and warned about his future conduct by the regulatory commission after this violation”. In all, the Portsmouth player has played 21 games and scored a goal this season.
Portsmouth officiall note
The club, in turn, issued an official note. “Portsmouth Football Club believes that the player acted in good faith and this was the result of a misunderstanding about the different certificates in England and Denmark. Rasmus has been professional in every respect since arriving at Fratton Park last summer. ”
The team’s statement continued: “The club has made it clear to all players and employees that they are prohibited from betting – directly or indirectly – on any football game or competition that takes place anywhere in the world.”
