ON HOW HIS LIFE WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN BY COP PROBE
web
when I’m out and I can see people thinking, ‘ That’s the guy involved in that footbal l betting stuff,’ and ‘ There’s no smoke without fire.’
“It’s not nice. I ’ ve not heard anything from police since I was interviewed in February.
“It’s been worse for my family. I’ve got elderly grandparents and they saw it on the news. Trying to explain to them that I’ve done nothing wrong has been difficult.”
Imrie, who also played for Morton and Clyde, said he learned of a police raid at his Lanark home while away in England.
The under-18s coach had been sent by Accies to accompany the club’s promising starlet Jamie Hamilton on trial with English Premiership team Brighton.
But Imrie was woken by his mobile phone ringing early on February 26 in his hotel in the seaside resort.
He said: “I thought my alarm was going off on my phone but instead it was ringing. I had something like 25 missed calls from my partner Emma.
“I cal led her back thinking something had happened to our son Jenson, who’s just one. But she said police were at the house and had been there since 6.30am.
“She said they were there over some yellow card I’d got in a game. I didn’t
Imrie with son Jenson goinggo to change my family’sfam life.
“Having the police investigationinve hanging over my head has been hugelyhuge stressful but, since I’ve been named, that’sthat made it even worse.wors As well as reputationalreput damage, you hhave the damage to my club, who have stood bby me.
“AcciAccies develop some of ScottScottish football’s best young talent and I’m workingk withh themh at a young age. What are parents going to think?” Imrie said he’s confused over what has sparked the probe as it centres on a match played more than a year ago on January 26, 2019, when Accies were beaten 3- 0 by Celtic. He picked up a yellow card in the 82nd minute for a bad foul on Scott Brown. In 483 matches in Scottish senior football, he was bbooked 118 times – once every four games. HHe added: “If you were goigoing to bet on anything, it wwould be me getting a yellowyel card. It happened all the time. The odds would’vewou been pretty short.short There’s some players
Sunday Mail
who just need to look at the referee the wrong way and they get booked. That was me.
“I played the game in a committed fashion and always gave my best for my clubs. I’d never jeopardise that.
“The money talked about is the bookies paying out £11,000 on stakes of about £ 5000 and the betting pattern involving about 15 people.
“Divided by 15 people, it means you’re only talking about a few hundred pounds each.
“It ’s nonsense to think I’d contemplate wrecking my future, reputation and even the risk of going to jail on something like this.
“I’d like to think at the end of the police probe I’ll receive an apology but I’m not holding my breath.”
The Sunday Mail understands the investigation has involved searches at addresses across central Scotland.
But Accies have stressed it does not involve any other players or coaches at their club. An Accies spokesman said: “Our chief executive has spoken with all players, coaches and staff at the club and there is no suggestion anyone at our club has been spoken to by police over this incident.”
Police said: “On February 28, a 36-year- old man was arrested in connection with a reported incident relating to gambling in sport. He was released pending further inquiries.”