By BBBB
The English Football Association (FA) has suspended Swansea City’s player liaison officer from all football and related activities for 12 months and fined him £1,500 due to betting misconduct.
The FA charged Huw Lake with placing 2,476 bets on football matches between April 3rd, 2018, and September 24, 2023, a charge he admitted to.
An independent Regulatory Commission issued a 12-month ban from all football and related activities. This ban includes three months of immediate suspension, with the remaining nine months suspended until the end of the 2024/25 season, along with a £1,500 fine.
The FA appealed the Regulatory Commission’s decision, arguing that it was unreasonable and excessively lenient.
The FA had originally set out a possible ban of between 6 months and life based on the severity of the charges and the fact that Lake had bet on his own team to lose.
The FA also determined that Lake was a respected individual in a position of influence and that his position and activity could have potentially put players and other club staff at risk.
An independent Appeal Board found the nine-month suspension deferral to be unreasonably lenient and replaced it with a 12-month suspension to be served entirely starting March 25, 2024.
Lake has been employed by Swansea since 2004 and became the player liaison officer in 2007.
Betting Breaches Details
- Between April 2018 and September 2023, Lake placed 2,476 football-related bets.
- 130 of these bets were on Swansea City FC (SCFC) to lose.
- Lake staked a total of nearly £92,000.
- Losses were less than 10% of wagered amount.
Player Betting Offences
The case is just the latest in a string of alleged betting breaches under investigation by the FA.
West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta was charged earlier this week with misconduct for alleged breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3.
Paqueta faces four charges under FA Rule E5.1 related to his conduct during the club’s Premier League matches against Leicester City on November 12, 2022; Aston Villa on March 12, 2023; Leeds United on May 21, 2023; and AFC Bournemouth on August 12, 2023.
He is alleged to have intentionally sought to influence the progress, conduct, or other aspects of these matches by aiming to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market, enabling one or more individuals to profit from betting.
Meanwhile, on May 2nd, an independent Regulatory Commission sanctioned Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali for misconduct related to The FA’s Betting Rules.
The FA charged the midfielder with 50 breaches of FA Rule E8 for placing bets on football matches between August 12, 2023, and October 12, 2023, which he admitted.
The independent Regulatory Commission imposed a two-month suspension from all football and football-related activities, which is suspended until the end of the 2024/25 season pending any further breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules. Additionally, Tonali has been fined £20,000 and issued a warning.
English