Even the best professional football players in Europe are increasingly betting on sports, particularly football.
However, in recent years, a number of players throughout Europe have been embroiled in controversies involving illegal betting.
A betting scandal involves these players, either directly or indirectly.
The English FA’s and football’s rules are generally unambiguous when it comes to players and unlawful betting.
Players were expressly forbidden by the regulations from placing bets on themselves or encouraging friends and relatives to place bets on them.
Additionally, it prevented players from giving away secret knowledge to others in an attempt to obtain an advantage.
Maduka Okoye, the goalie for the Super Eagles and Udinese, was most recently embroiled in a betting scandal.
If the Nigerian is found guilty of unlawful betting, he might face a four-year suspension.
Due to his wager on his yellow card from a match against Lazio in March of last year, the 25-year-old is currently under investigation.
The Udine Prosecutor’s Office is looking into Okoye for a series of unusual wagers made during Lazio’s match against Udinese at home.
After 64 minutes of play, the goalie was given a yellow card for wasting time.
The game at the Stadio Olimpico finished with Udinese winning 2-1.
However, apart from Okoye’s latest betting scandal, there have been other recent cases involving the likes of Al-Ahli’s Ivan Toney, Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali, Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli, Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier, Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge, among others, who have been accused of breaching betting rules.
Tonali was banned from playing football for ten months due to a betting scandal he was involved in during his time at AC Milan.
The midfielder was also mandated to participate in a rehabilitation program and several public appearances for eight months.
As for Fagioli, the Juventus midfielder suffered the same fate as Tonali, with their cases being revealed simultaneously.
Fagioli was handed a seven-month ban over his connection with an inquiry into unlawful betting and was also fined €12,50.
Similarly, Trippier was banned from football for ten weeks and was also fined £70,000 after he informed some of his friends of his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Atletico Madrid in 2019 before it was made official.
One of his friends took advantage of the information to make a significant financial gain.
On his part, Toney received an eight-month suspension for violating betting regulations during his time at Brentford.
The England striker admitted to 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules, which prohibit players from wagering on football matches.
Finally, Sturridge received a four-month ban in 2020 for breaching betting rules.
He was also fined £150,000 after he was found guilty of providing his brother with insider information on a potential move to Sevilla back in 2018, which was used for betting.
Speaking on Monday, respected journalist, Femi Fabunmi, insisted that the rule is a measure to prevent external factors from influencing football.
“The rules are very clear- no active player should be seen betting whether directly or indirectly,” Fabunmi told DAILY POST.
“This rule is a measure to prevent external factors from influencing the beautiful game of football.
“Many players have been penalized for being involved in betting.
“For Okoye, investigations are still ongoing but he has said that his hands are clean.
“Ivan Toney and Sandro have paid their price for their involvement in betting.
“One thing is sure- top 5 European leagues do not joke with players’ involvement in betting,” he added.
Speaking also, Idris Musa Adinoyi, Dawaki Rangers FC captain, said any player found guilty of illegal betting should dance to the tune of the music.
“As a professional athlete, there are certain ethics expected to be upheld and the betting scandal is definitely not one of them,” Adinoyi said.
“Any player or athlete found guilty of such fraud after a conclusive investigation should definitively be made to dance to the tune of the music he began playing.
“It is sad to learn about Maduka Okoye’s investigation but the law must take its course and if found guilty, I’d say he deserves whatever punishment.
“Unprofessional behaviors need to be cleansed thoroughly for the spirit of sportsmanship to shine brightly,” he stated.