The Football Association (FA) will investigate suspicious betting patterns during the recent FA Cup match between Oxford United and Arsenal.
Arsenal won 3-0 on Monday, with the FA now saying they are looking into the evidence that has been passed on since the end of the match. Suspicious actions focus on the yellow card given to Oxford player Ciaron Brown in the 59th minute.
The FA is believed to have a dossier of evidence into the alleged match-fixing, which includes pre-match phone messages claiming the defender would receive a yellow card, which would have cost a bookmaker more than £1,600 ( $1,945).
A message shows a betting slip with around £200 staked on the Oxford player being cautioned at odds of 8/1. Brown was booked for a foul on Arsenal striker Bukayo Saka just before the 60th minute, with Mohamed Elneny giving the visitors the lead four minutes later. Eddie Nketiah then scored two goals to secure Arsenal’s place in the next round of the competition.
This is certainly not the only betting problem the FA has had to deal with in recent times, with Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney charged with 232 alleged breaches of the betting rules in November 2022 being indicted for 30 more alleged violations the following month.
FA reinforces that football professionals are prohibited from placing bets
The FA reinforces that football betting is prohibited for all players, managers, coaches, club employees, directors and licensed agents involved in the English football leagues. These persons are prohibited from betting – directly or indirectly – on any football match or competition taking place anywhere in the world.
