FA issues record ban for breach of betting rules
Stratford Town defender Kynan Isaac has been banned for ten years for placing bets and spot-fixing.
UK.- The English FA has imposed a 10-year ban on Stratford Town defender Kynan Isaac. The 31-year-old player was accused of placing or aiding hundreds of bets on football matches that he was involved in and of spot-fixing.
Isaac was charged with spot-fixing in relation to Stratford’s FA Cup home tie against Shrewsbury Town on November 7, 2021. The FA was alerted about suspicious betting on the match, which Stratford lost 1-5. Bookmakers alerted the FA to large bets being placed on Isaac to be booked – something that happened in the 84th minute.
An investigation by the FA’s integrity unit found Isaac guilty of spot-fixing by deliberately earning a yellow card. He was further accused of placing bets himself on matches he was involved in, including several bets against his team. A panel chaired by Graeme McPherson KC heard that Isacc had placed or enabled almost 350 bets over a five-year period.
Issac pleaded not guilty to the charges and was accused of failing to cooperate with the investigation, resulting in the record ten-year band. He still says he is innocent but admitted to the Daily Mail that the length of the ban meant the end of his career, which has included appearances for nine football clubs.
UFC fighters banned from betting on all UFC fights
The UFC has announced that it has updated its athlete code of conduct to ban fighters from betting on any UFC fights. The announcement was made in a letter sent to fighters and their teams by UFC chief business officer, Hunter Campbell. The ban also covered close associates of UFC fighters.
The UFC said it had changed its policy due to the expansion of sports betting in the US. It said it had made the decision in order to come into line with the “regulators responsible for the regulated sports betting industry in the United States”.
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has reported that it received 76 reports of suspicious betting in the third quarter. That’s a drop from 88 in Q2. Europe accounted for 37 reports, down from 46 in Q2.
There were eight suspicious betting reports in Asia, seven in South America and Africa and one in North America. Tennis was responsible for 33 alerts, remaining the most represented sport in reports made by the IBIA’s partner organisation. Esports followed with 16 reports – a significant increase as more operators focusing on the sector have joined the IBIA.
