STAR’S THERAPIST SAYS 100S OF Joey Barton’s gambling is tip of iceberg and the FA is doing nothing

AN expert who treated banned footballer Joey Barton for gambling problems claims the star is “the tip of the iceberg”.

Therapist Steve Pope alleges betting is out of control within football and that players at clubs all over Britain are addicted.

He says rich stars at the higher levels of the game routinely wager tens of thousands of pounds.

Staggering sums are won and lost betting on matches or playing cards on team buses.

Steve tells how players in lower leagues blow all their wages then resort to stealing valuables from dressing rooms.

Some take out payday loans they cannot afford.

And he accuses the FA not only of doing nothing to fix the problem but of denying it even exists.

Steve, 57, who has worked with over 250 professional and academy players to curb addiction, said: “It is getting worse year on year. Gambling has been become an accepted or even condoned pastime for footballers.”

He spoke out after former Manchester City, Newcastle and QPR star Barton was banned from football for 18 months for breaching rules on betting.

At 34, the ban could effectively end the career of the fiery midfielder currently with Burnley.

Culture

to treat addiction problems at clubs including Manchester United, Spurs, Blackpool and Glasgow Rangers, said players have turned to gambling in droves since drug testing has become more frequent and drinking cultures largely curbed.

He said: “These are sportsmen who are picked and trained to get off on the high of scoring a goal or making that vital tackle.

“It’s a high that’s as powerful as any stimulant drug or gambling. These are young men who have been cocooned inside their club from as young as eight.

They’re invariably given no guidance on matters such as how to manage their money or being made aware of what can happen if you get sucked into gambling.

“Training for just two or three hours a day, they also have huge amounts of spare time and a crazy amount of money.

Accounts

“It’s a recipe for disaster and nobody is doing anything about it – least of all the FA who need to be taking responsibility.”

He added: “Football and the betting business are entwined t hrough s ponsorship and advertising. They often play cards on the bus to away matches – losing tens of thousands of pounds – as well as setting up online betting accounts which they check on their smartphones at half time.

“It takes away their focus on the matches but can ruin lives, families, communities and affect their team’s performance.

“I’ve even been given a betting tip for a match by a player in the tunnel before he walked on to the pitch. You can’t tell me that won’t affect his focus.”

One of Steve’s current patients, who cannot be named, plays for a Championship team and openly admits betting on matches including his own team. He told us how