Club Suspends Football Liaison Officer Over Betting-Related Misconduct

The Player Liaison officer for Swansea City Football Club has been suspended over allegations of betting-related misconduct. 

The allegation is that Huw Lake placed over 2,000 bets between April 2018 and September 2023.

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FA Hand Down 12 Month Suspension 

The Football Association have suspended Lake for 12 Months. It means that he cannot take part in any football or football related activity. He was also handed down a £1,500 fine after admitting to the charge against him.  

Mr Lake has gone on record as saying that he did not use any prior specific inside knowledge via his position at the club for the 2476 bets he made.   

What Is Considered as Inside Information?

Inside information is information that you are aware of due to your position in the game and which is not publicly available - for example, this may be injury or team selection news.  

The FA states: 

• You are not allowed to use inside information to place a bet or to instruct someone else to do so on your behalf. 
• You are not allowed to pass inside information on to someone else, which they use for betting. 
• You can be considered to have passed inside information by word of mouth, email, writing, or even social media postings. 
• You may be in breach of the Rules if you pass inside information on to someone else, even if you did not know that they were going to use it to bet. 

Despite some leniency shown during the original hearing via an Independent Regulatory Commission, the FA deemed that the penalty was so unduly lenient as to be unreasonable. 

The same decision was reached by an Independent Appeal Board. It means that Lake will have to serve out his ban from March 2024 until March 2025.

Footballers Punished for Betting-Related Offences  

Football has seen similar suspensions handed down to players in the English football league.  

Sandro Tonali, Kieran Trippier, and Ivan Toney are just a few of the high-profile footballers who have faced fines and bans for betting-related offences.   

The FA Issues Clear Rules on Betting 

No Participant can bet on a match or competition in which they are involved that season, or which they can influence, or any other football-related matter concerning the league that they play in. 
 
Participants are also prohibited from using or passing inside information for betting. 

Chances of Getting Caught and Red Carded from the Game are High 

The FA makes no bones about the levels it will go to catch those who indulge in Match-fixing, or breaching the FA betting rules, or using inside information. 

The FA, the Gambling Commission and betting companies have sophisticated systems to monitor and detect breaches of the betting rules. These organisations advise the FA of issues that arise in the cash, telephone and online betting markets. 

The FA states on its website: “If you attempt to match fix, or breach the FA betting rules, or pass on inside information, you are likely to get caught and receive a FA charge. The FA has the power to interview you and to require you to produce records such as itemised phone bills, betting account statements and bank statements."
 
“If found guilty, then this can lead to financial penalties, suspensions, and in some instances, lifetime bans.”