And Joey Barton just got banned for 18 months by the FA for placing 1260 bets on football over 7 years. Including on his own team to lose. What a dipshit.
That being said, the English FA have no one to blame for this mess more than themselves. They have allowed gambling to integrate with football in England, and now it has finally blown up in their faces.
It sure looks like he pulls up short as the pass comes in.
Betting is engrained in the sporting culture in the U.K. While the FA may have played a part in it, it is ubiquitous and instead of closing their eyes and covering their ears while screaming like the US sports teams, they acknowledge that it is part of the interest or enhances the interest in the league. Gambling didn't suddenly gain popularity and here is the betting scandal - it's been that way for a long time without a debilitating scandal or at least not one any worse than what has been documented in US sports where everyone plays dumb.
The one where he got sent off, and then City ended up winning the league on goal difference.
City weren't going to win the league when he got sent off.
Second, on the few occasions where I placed a bet on my own team to lose, I was not involved in the match day squad for any of those games. I did not play. I was not even on the bench. I had no more ability to influence the outcome than had I been betting on darts, snooker, or a cricket match in the West Indies. I should add that on some of those occasions, my placing of the bet on my own team to lose was an expression of my anger and frustration at not being picked or being unable to play. I understand people will think that is childish and selfish and I cannot disagree with that.
You're well past that Joey