By Enitan Abdultawab

Sports players carry a significant burden beyond playing football. Off the field, they are expected to be morally upright and refrain from engaging in social activities that could jeopardize the club. One of these activities is gambling.

Gambling has become increasingly prevalent in sports, particularly in the context of football. The rules and regulations of the FA and football generally are explicit, strictly prohibiting players from placing bets on their own matches, involving friends or family in betting, or sharing insider information to gain an advantage.

Recently, there have been cases involving Sandro Tonali, Ivan Toney, Nicolo Fagioli, and a few others who have been accused of breaching betting rules.

Let’s take a look at five players who have either been banned or fined for breaching betting regulations.

Sandro Tonali – Newcastle

The Newcastle midfielder has officially been banned from playing football for the next ten months due to a betting scandal he was involved in while at AC Milan.

Alongside the ten-month ban, the midfielder will also participate in a rehabilitation program and several public appearances for eight months.

Newcastle acquired the services of the Italian man just this summer, and he has since brought some stability to the midfield of Eddie Howe’s team.

Nicolo Fagioli – Juventus

Fagioli is another player who has suffered the same fate as Tonali, with their cases being revealed simultaneously.

A seven-month sports ban has been imposed on Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli in connection with an inquiry into unlawful betting. Along with a €12,500 fine, Fagioli also agreed to have his 12-month on-pitch ban reduced to five months of therapy and speaking engagements in public over the following five months.

Fagioli is one of Juventus’ brightest young players and has played in only six of the Old Lady’s eight games.

Harry Toffolo – Nottingham Forest

The Nottingham Forest defender was accused by the FA of breaking its betting regulations 375 times back in July. Toffolo was committed to Norwich and had spent time on loan at Swindon, Rotherham, Peterborough, and Scunthorpe between January 2014 and March 2017, according to The Guardian.

During that time, he was accused of breaking FA regulation E8. After confessing to the offenses, he was given a five-month suspension a few months later. Sources indicate that the regular Tricky Trees player will also need to pay just under £21,000.

Kieran Trippier – Atletico Madrid

As Kieran Trippier prepared to leave Tottenham Hotspur, several clubs sought his services. However, he ended up in Spain with Simeone’s side, Atletico Madrid, and his move sparked some controversy because he had informed some of his friends of the move.

Trippier was under investigation by the FA after disclosing to his pals in a WhatsApp group that he was relocating to Madrid. One of his friends took advantage of this information to make a significant financial gain. The former Newcastle captain and England international was found guilty. He was fined £70,000 and banned from football for ten weeks, even though he was unaware that his friend had placed the wager.

Ivan Toney – Brentford

As the previous season drew to a close, Brentford’s striker Ivan Toney received an eight-month suspension for violating betting regulations. The Brentford striker admitted to 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules, which forbid players from wagering on football matches.

These transgressions occurred from February 2017 to January 2021, resulting in Ivan being unable to participate in any football-related activities until January 16 of the following year.

Toney was one of the Premier League’s top strikers last season, scoring the third-highest number of goals with 20, despite the ban.