FA open investigation for Arsenal yellow card following allegations of suspicious betting patterns
- Sean Fisher
- 20 January 2022
Bookmakers raised concerns with the FA after an unusual amount of money was placed on an Arsenal player being cautioned.
While it is not a formal investigation, the Football Association have stated they are looking into the matter.
Spot-betting allows punters to place bets on specific details of a game, including the number of corners, goals or cards.
The latter has caused concern in recent days, with bookmakers flagging a specific bet that saw an abnormal amount of money heaped onto a specific player being booked.
Arsenal are central to the investigation, but have refused to comment on the incident.
As for the FA, they released a statement that read, "The FA is aware of the matter in question and is looking into it."
The FA is investigating a yellow card received by an Arsenal player in a Premier League fixture this season, amid concerns of suspicious betting patterns.
— The Athletic UK (@TheAthleticUK) January 19, 2022
It's not the first time the governing body have had to look into allegations of suspicious betting either. Back in 2018, Lincoln defender Bradley Wood was banned from playing for six years after it was revealed he got himself deliberately booked twice during the club's FA Cup run.
Wood received a five-year ban for match-fixing offences, and picked up a further 12-month suspension after he admitted 22 charges of betting on the outcome of matches and one charge of passing on information.
Former Southampton and England midfielder Matt Le Tissier has also been caught up in a betting scandal, when his 2009 autobiography revealed that he had placed a spread bet on the timing of the first throw-in for a match he was involved in.
Le Tissier attempted to over-hit a pass to teammate Neil Shipperley in order to give away a throw-in, but failed to get the ball out of play.
The matter was later referred to Hampshire Police but the Crown Prosecution Service decided against pursuing a case.
