Former Livi man Brown to have phone seized in bets probe

FA investigators will seize Ciaron Brown’s phone and scrutinise the Oxford United defender’s recent calls, texts and social media traffic as part of their probe into potential spot-fixing in Monday’s FA Cup defeat by Arsenal. Sportsmail revealed yesterday that the FA had begun investigating after receiving evidence of an alleged betting scam, including WhatsApp messages from before kick-off which claimed that Brown — who had two spells on loan at Livingston — would definitely be booked during the third-round tie on Monday. The FA have the power to interview all related parties and demand they hand in their phones and laptops. Brown’s devices are understood to be the primary focus of their initial enquiries. The Northern Ireland defender, 24, was booked in the 59th minute after pulling down Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah, throwing the ball away and pushing midfielder Fabio Vieira when the score was 0-0. Several punters have contacted Sportsmail to say that they won thousands of pounds after placing bets at odds of 8-1. Eyewitnesses at the Kassam Stadium claim they saw several Arsenal fans celebrating wildly after Brown was booked and boasting of their winnings. There is no suggestion they were involved in any criminal activity. Sportsmail has also learned that several bookmakers have so far refused to pay out, due to suspicion over the betting patterns and fears of possible corruption. The odds available on Brown being booked also collapsed from 8-1 on Monday morning to 7-2 shortly before kick-off in a strong indication of the weight of money placed on the outcome. Oxford yesterday confirmed they had been made aware of the allegations and pledged to co-operate with the FA’s investigation, which is likely to include facilitating their collection of Brown’s devices. ‘Oxford United can confirm that they have been made aware of a specific allegation of irregular betting around our Emirates FA Cup game against Arsenal,’ a club statement read. ‘The club will co-operate fully with any investigation and, while this is ongoing, we are unable to make any further comment.’

Industry experts appeared divided over the incident yesterday, with some attributing the amount of betting activity to a pricing error, but others suggesting there could be more to it. One leading bookmaker said their losses were not excessive and that those they did incur were down to a Brown (left) booking being overpriced, news of which was quickly spread on social media. Other firms appear to be more suspicious, however, and are withholding the payment of winning bets until the FA investigation has concluded. Brown made 34 appearances for Livingston while on loan from Cardiff City between 2019 and 2021 before moving to Oxford last year.