Roly-poly goalie axed for scoffing a meat pie
20-stone substitute forced to quit after bookies’ food wagers
MATCH- FIxING by shadowy international gambling syndicates has long threatened the integrity of football.
But yesterday the sport was reeling from the emergence of a shocking new alleged betting scam – pie-fixing.
Sutton United substitute goalkeeper Wayne Shaw, dubbed the ‘roly-poly goalie’, was filmed scoffing a pie during his nonleague club’s FA Cup clash with Arsenal on Monday night.
The Gambling Commission is now investigating after it emerged that a bookmaker had offered odds of 8/1 on the 20-stone player eating a pie on live TV.
Shaw, who initially insisted he ate it simply because he was hungry, was sacked yesterday after the club said he knew about the bookie’s offer. Bookmaker Sun Bets tweeted that it had paid out a five-figure sum after Shaw finished his pie as BBC cameras focused on him.
The gamble could cost them far more, as investigators probe whether the offer breached strict betting rules.
The Football Association has also launched an investigation.
Richard Watson, the Gambling Commission’s enforcement and intelligence director, said: ‘Integrity in sport is not a joke and we have opened an investigation to establish exactly what happened.
‘As part of that we’ll be looking into any irregularity in the betting market and establishing whether the operator has met its licence requirement to conduct its business with integrity.’
South London minnows Sutton United were thrust into the limelight after their fairy-tale progress to the FA Cup’s final 16. Shaw, 46, had won particular plaudits for his enthusiasm, humour – and size. He revelled in the attention, giving numerous interviews and even being asked to pose naked by one publication. After Monday’s game, he said: ‘A few of the lads said to me earlier on, “What is going on with the 8/1 about eating a pie?” I said, “I don’t know, I’ve eaten nothing all day, so I might give it a go later on”.’
Shaw ate the pie after Sutton had used three substitutes, meaning there was no chance he would be called on to play a part in the match.
Sutton manager Paul Doswell told Sky News he had asked Shaw to leave the club and he had agreed. He said: ‘It’s been very disappointing.
‘I woke up this morning to this storm of criticism. It’s something we’ve dealt with very quickly. Wayne himself has offered his resignation to the chairman this afternoon and it’s been accepted. It’s a very sad end to what has been a good story.
‘The club were very disappointed in the way that we had been portrayed... it’s clear in FA rules you are not allowed to bet and whether it was a fun bet or whatever it was, it wasn’t acceptable.’
The incident comes after the Gambling Commission sent a letter to betting firms last June warning them about novelty markets and how easily they can be abused.
Former England captain Gary Lineker came to Shaw’s defence yesterday, saying it was ‘just a bit of fun’. He added: ‘If the bookies lay odds on something daft, it serves them right. Seems you can’t have your pie and eat it too.’