FA Statement: Players suspended

At a Regulatory Commission hearing today, three former Redditch United players received suspensions and fines as a result of breaches of FA betting regulations.

Matthew Clarke was suspended for 12 months and fined £3,500 after admitting 25 breaches of FA rules relating to fixtures in 2007 and 2008. A total of 11 of these charges related to three fixtures in which he participated as a Redditch player.

Howard Forinton was suspended for four months and fined £500 for two breaches relating to a fixture between Stalybridge Celtic and Redditch United in 2008 in which he played for Redditch.

Scott Rickards was suspended for six months and fined £2,000 for two breaches relating to the same match against Stalybridge Celtic in which he also played for Redditch. Rickards was fined an additional £500 after being charged with failing to assist in an investigation.

In a statement, the Commission said: “The Football Association was clear in its submissions that there was no suggestion of match fixing implied in any of these cases.

“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. These players were all in blatant breach of the rules.

“The Commission made some allowance for the eventual acceptance of guilt by each of the players meaning that the Commission only had to deal with the level of sanction to be applied as opposed to establishing guilt. The Commission also considered the mitigation in other areas submitted by the players, including the fact that the players were not expecting to play in the games on which they had placed a bet and also the fact they had not been paid by the Club for several weeks increased their financial pressures. The Commission believes that the sanctions imposed properly reflect the seriousness of these offences.”