January 4 – In a snub to English football authorities, FIFA have stepped in to block the 10-game worldwide ban imposed by the English FA on international defender Kieron Tripper for breaking betting rules.
The FA did not clarify what the breach entailed but said it had occurred in July 2019, around the time Trippier joined Atletico Madrid for a reported £20 million from Tottenham Hotspur.
Trippier had played in all of Atletico ‘s La Liga and Champions League games this season before the ban was announced and Fifa has placed it on hold pending an appeal.
Atlético coach Diego Simeone has described the punishment as “completely unjust” and requested both the Spanish football federation and FIFA to intervene.
Atlético’s case is that the judgement would have meant Tripper missing 13 games for his club, including their Champions League last-16 first-leg tie against Chelsea in February, and none for his country.
The Spanish club reportedly received notification from FIFA at the weekend making the England full-back available for selection
“Personally, I think it’s a suspension that is disproportionate for the player and totally unjust for Atlético,” the club’s CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín was quoted as saying.
“How can it be possible that the party that is most negatively affected by this is Atlético, which hasn’t played any part in the process?”
“The fact that the ban just happens to finish just as the England national team is scheduled to play a competitive game makes you think all sorts of things about … the ethics of a football association with a long history.”
Trippier will now be free to play until the appeal procedure is complete.
On Sunday, FIFA released a statement saying: “Following the appeal and, specifically, the request for provisional measures lodged by the club Atletico Madrid, the FIFA Appeal Committee has approved to stay the extension of the suspension against Kieran Trippier until the procedure is over before the FIFA Appeal Committee.”
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