By Andrew Warshaw
January 17 – Scottish football has become caught up in a new betting scandal after Michael Moffat (pictured), a striker with League One club Ayr United, was banned for six games for breaking the rules.
Last year, Glasgow Rangers midfielder Ian Black was fined £7,500 and banned for 10 matches – of which seven were suspended – after admitting to betting on 160 matches over a seven-year period, including against his own team on three occasions.
Moffat has scored 18 goals this season and his ban ironically came as Scottish football unveiled a new ‘Keep It Clean’ campaign.
A hotline has been set up allowing players, coaches and officials to anonymously flag up any suspicions they might have about issues such as match-fixing or betting patterns.
Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan insisted there was no evidence of any organised wrongdoing. “We’ve got to separate our betting [issues] from match-fixing and spot-fixing, they are very different things,” he said.
“We have no evidence to suggest match fixing or any other form of corruption has taken place but we can’t rule it out.
“Scottish football prides itself on its good reputation but we can’t be complacent. Match fixing is the high end of the spectrum but the SFA’s rules with regard to betting on matches are clear. It’s not allowed. And why is it not allowed? Because it poses a risk to the game’s integrity.”
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