Gunners gardener bet ban

ARSENAL senior gardener Michael Bath is the latest football employee to be hit with a ban following an FA crackdown on betting among club employees.

He has been banned for six months from the Gunners’ training ground – four of those suspended for 18 months, providing he doesn’t break any more betting rules – and was fined £750.

During a period between March 31, 2017 and December 2019, he placed 152 bets on Arsenal games – 56 of them on Arsenal teams, which included the women’s side, to lose. At an FA disciplinary commission earlier this month, it was discovered that 129 bets were placed while he was at the Colney training complex.

Bath has fallen foul of the FA integrity rule, which prohibits all staff employed by a football club from betting on football matters.

He told the FA independent regulatory commission that he believed the betting rules only applied to players and coaching staff.

An FA spokesperson stated: “This applies to every single member of staff and covers every footballrelated activity anywhere in the world. It’s something which needs to be constantly related by clubs to their employees.”

A Premier League executive admitted: “I think there is a lack of education on the subject. Whereas it’s clear for players and coaching staff, many other football people further down the pyramid are unaware that they are breaking FA regulations by placing a football bet.

“You are often only talking about small wagers, but it’s not allowed. We are constantly reminding all our employees, but that’s not always the case at every other club – especially those further down the ladder.”