FOUR footballers have been banned and hit with large fines after betting on Accrington Stanley to lose.

The players, all of whom have now left Stanley including long-serving defender Robbie Williams, have been slammed for bringing shame on the club and the town.

The punishments followed a 10-month Football Association investigation into bets on the outcome of the Bury v Stanley match in May last year.

And the FA said it was the first time in its history that players had been banned for betting on their own matches.

Club chief executive Rob Heys said finding out their own players had bet on Stanely to lose was “horrendous” for both the club and the fans.

And Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said the revelations had “dragged the good name of the club and the town through the mud”.

He said: “The club has had a very difficult few months. It has been touch and go for them over the tax bill, and this is another blow.

“Stanley are emblematic of the town and the town and the club are completely entwined and the behaviour of these players has been unacceptable.

“I am sure that the fans will rally round now. None of the players who have been convicted are at the club and hopefully everyone can look forward to the new season and put it all behind them.”

Three of the players were with Stanley at the time and the other at Bury, who won the game 2-0.

Jay Harris, 22, who was the only one of the four who actually played in the game, has been banned for a year and fined a total of £5,500 by an independent FA regulatory commission.

David Mannix, 23, has been given a 10-month ban and fined £4,000, and Williams, 30, suspended for eight months and fined £3,500.

Andrew Mangan, 22, who was then a Bury player but used to play for Stanley, has been banned for five months and fined £2,000 for betting on his team to win.

The case against Stanley club captain Peter Cavanagh, 27, will be heard just a day before the start of the season on August 7.

The four Accrington players were charged with betting thousands of pounds on their team to lose. Mannix was alleged by the FA to have bet approximately £4,000; Harris £2,000; Williams £1,000; and Cavanagh on a £5 accumulator.

Mangan was charged with staking £3,500 on his side to win, while Harris' total fine includes £500 for betting on at least one other match after he had moved to Chester City.

The charges followed concerns from bookmakers.

Betfair, took £281,000 on Accrington Stanley to lose – around 14 times more than it would normally expect. William Hill suspended betting when large stakes were still being wagered even when the odds had been cut to 10/11 on a Bury win.

Most matches at a similar level on the same weekend saw a total of around £20,000 being staked. The FA changed the referee and assistants at the last minute amid the concerns.

Nicholas Stewart QC, the chairman of the Regulatory Commission, said: “The suspensions and fines are imposed because the FA rules restricting betting by players (and others) on matches or competitions in which they are involved are vital to ensure public confidence in the integrity of football and the absolute straightness of all football matches.

“These players were all in blatant breach of the rules. Three of the players, (Mannix, Harris and Williams) were Accrington players at the time and actually bet on the opposing team, Bury, to win.

“Actions which would shock any fair minded football fan. Mr Harris even played for Accrington in that match.

“Mr Mangan did at least bet on his own club to win but was nevertheless in serious breach of this important rule.”

Williams has now been released by Stanley and Cavanagh is currently out of contract.

Mr Heys said the conduct of the players was “deeply disappointing”.

He said: “These players were in a very fortunate position and it is so disappointing that some have repaid us in this way.

“We have had a very tough year and we just want to put this behind us now. It has been horrendous for us.”

Leader of Hyndburn Council Peter Britcliffe said: “It is very bad news to find out that these players were betting on their own club to lose.

Most fans can accept a team losing but they certainly cannot accept players trying to profit from losing.”will be heard at a later date.

THE FA STATEMENT IN FULL


A Regulatory Commission today announced decisions involving incidents of betting in fixtures involving five players. The summary of the charges, all of which were breaches of FA Rule E8(a) were:

Mr James Harris:

a. Case 1 – Whilst an Accrington Stanley player bet on the outcome of Accrington Stanley v Bury on 3 May 2008.

The Regulatory Commission found the charge proven and Mr Harris was fined £5,000 and suspended immediately from all football and football activities for a period of 1 year.

b. Case 2 – Whilst a Chester player placed a stake on a treble bet including:

i. The outcome of Bournemouth v Chester on 6 December 2008.

ii. The outcome of Bradford City v Dagenham & Redbridge and/or Macclesfield Town v Bury.

The Regulatory Commission found the charge proven on the basis of (ii) but not (i) and therefore Mr Harris was fined £500 and warned as to his future conduct.

Mr David Mannix:

a. Whilst an Accrington Stanley player bet on the outcome of Accrington Stanley v Bury on 3 May 2008.

The Regulatory Commission found the charge proven and Mr Mannix was fined £4,000 and suspended immediately from all football and football activities for a period of 10 months.

Mr Robert Williams:

a. Whilst an Accrington Stanley player bet on the outcome of Accrington Stanley v Bury on 3 May 2008.

The Regulatory Commission found the charge proven and Mr Williams was fined £3,500 and suspended immediately from all football and football activities for a period of 8 months.

Mr Andrew Mangan:

a. Whilst a Bury player bet on the outcome of Accrington Stanley v Bury on 3 May 2008.

The Regulatory Commission found the charge proven and Mr Mangan was fined £2,000 and suspended immediately from all football and football activities for a period of 5 months.

The case against Peter Cavanagh will be heard at a later date.

In summary, the Chairman of the Regulatory Commission, Mr Nicholas Stewart QC stated:

"The suspensions and fines are imposed because The FA rules restricting betting by players (and others) on matches or competitions in which they are involved are vital to ensure public confidence in the integrity of football and the absolute straightness of all football matches. These players were all in blatant breach of the rules. Three of the players, (Mannix, Harris and Williams) were Accrington players at the time and actually bet on the opposing team, Bury, to win. Actions which would shock any fair minded football fan. Mr Harris even played for Accrington in that match.

"Mr Mangan did at least bet on his own Club to win but was nevertheless in serious breach of this important rule.

"The betting offence committed against Mr Harris when he was a Chester City player merits a less severe penalty but was a clear breach of The FA rule E8(a) committed after he had already been interviewed and advised of likely charges in relation to the Accrington v Bury matter under the same rule."