The scandal involving national team football players in sports betting is not something exclusive to Brazil. The English, who debut this Monday (17) in Euro 2024, against Serbia, have two athletes involved in betting.
In other words, like Lucas Paquetá, they were also accused of committing irregularities linked to the world of betting. But, the only difference, while the Brazilian midfielder is still awaiting trial, right-back Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) and center forward Ivan Toney (Brentford) have already been sentenced.
Less serious cases at Euro 2024
The English players have already served their suspensions and are now free to compete in Euro 2024. The focus now is on Lucas Paquetá, who is even at risk of being banned from world football. The English Federation accuses the Brazilian of intentionally forcing him to receive yellow cards in four Premier League games.
Both Kieran Trippier and Ivan Toney received lighter punishments. This is because the FA (The Football Association) deduced that the infractions were not attempts to manipulate results.
Thus, Trippier was suspended from the pitch for ten weeks at the turn of 2020 to 2021 because he suggested to friends that they bet that he would be traded by Tottenham in the July 2019 transfer window. He ended up going to Atlético de Madrid and showering his teammates with money .
But with Toney it was a little worse, he was unable to play for eight months for committing 232 violations of sports betting regulations for football players between 2017 and 2021. He bet on his team’s defeats, but only in games where his absence prevented any influence on the result.
The sanction of Brentford’s top scorer only ended in January. Even with little time to show his service last season and erase the bad image left by the suspension, the striker secured a place at Euro 2024.
England’s golden generation
The England team has gone 58 years without winning a significant title. The new journey begins with the game against Serbia at 4pm (Brasília time) in Gelsenkirchen.
The English squad for Euro 2024 has three players who, depending on what happens on the pitch in Germany, could even win the award for best on the planet this season:
1. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
2. Phil Foden (Manchester City)
3. Harry Kane (Bayern de Munique)
Gareth Southgate, England coach, has in his group, in addition to Serbia, the teams of Slovenia and Denmark. With the top two in each group and the four best third-place teams advancing, the chances of going to the knockout stages are promising.
For three years now, England has been hitting the woodwork, but has still not managed to become continental champion for the first time. In 2021, the English reached the final against Italy, but lost the title on penalties.
