May 7 – An English second-tier striker has been has been handed a suspended three-month ban and fined £60,000 in the latest breach of football’s betting rules to hit English football.
Dexter Blackstock (pictured), of Nottingham Forest, currently recovering from a serious knee injury sustained while on loan at Leeds United, has been charged with multiple breaches of conduct but will only serve the punishment if he offends again.
“Nottingham Forest’s Dexter Blackstock has been suspended from all football activity for three months after he admitted multiple breaches of FA Rule E8 for misconduct in relation to betting,” said a statement on the English Football Association website.
However, the Independent Regulatory Commission ordered that the player’s suspension be stayed until 31 May 2016 and will only be automatically invoked upon a proven breach of the FA Betting Rules during that period.
The former England under-21 striker, who switched to Antigua and Barbuda for his senior international career and scored in a World Cup qualifier against the United States, last played for his parent club in October and made only four appearances for Leeds before being ruled out for the rest of this season.
Last month it was revealed that English football authorities were seeking a blanket ban on all gambling on matches by top-level players and officials following a string of betting-related incidents.
The Football Association’s Council has proposed a plan to outlaw gambling on matches of any kind by employees of the top eight tiers of English football. The proposed rule will go before FA shareholders at their annual general meeting on 21 May. If passed it would mean anyone from the Premier League down to the regional divisions of the game would be prohibited from any football-related gambling activity.
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