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Football manager who gambled nearly £1million LET OFF by FA as Ivan Toney serves eight-month ban

A FOOTBALL manager who allegedly gambled nearly £1MILLION was let off by the FA, according to reports.

The unnamed head coach, who allegedly placed bets on football, admitted to being a gambling addict in evidence presented to a court last year in which two ex-footballers were accused of blackmailing him.

The coach has been let off by the FA despite placing bets on football
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The coach has been let off by the FA despite placing bets on footballCredit: Getty

According to , he had eight betting accounts.

The majority of the bets were placed on horse racing, although the court also heard he had broken FA rules by gambling on football.

But he was let off with a warning as no further action was taken.

Earlier this year, Brentford striker Ivan Toney was banned from football for eight months for breaching betting rules.

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And Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo was handed a suspended five-month ban on Wednesday after also breaching betting regulations.

However, no such punishment was handed out to the unnamed manager.

The FA explained that although the manager had placed 28 bets on football, only three came after a total ban on gambling for those involved in the game was implemented in 2014.

And the game's governing body denied covering up the investigation.

Ivan Toney is currently serving an eight-month ban for betting breaches
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Ivan Toney is currently serving an eight-month ban for betting breachesCredit: Getty

An FA statement read: "We take all allegations of potential betting breaches very seriously, and we conducted a full and thorough investigation into this matter.

"The details of this specific case included a total of 28 historic bets on football, with only three bets placed, of a low value, after The FA’s introduction of a total ban for Participants to bet on football in 2014.

"The last of these bets were placed in 2017, and none of them were in relation to clubs that the individual was involved with at the time.

"With all aspects fully considered, the case was closed, and the individual was issued with a formal warning.

"The reports that suggest that this has been a secret process are categorically incorrect. There are legal restrictions on us being able to name the individual, which are unconnected with the betting matter."

A court was made to conceal the manager's identity when the two players in question, Alan Rogers and Steven Jennings, were set to go on trial in 2022.

They had plead not guilty to the charges and they were dropped when the unnamed manager changed his mind and did not want to proceed with the trial.

The court heard the manager gambled £879,000 across a two-year period, losing £270,000.

One of his court letters explaining his desire to abandon the trial led to a judge being "concerned about his welfare".

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The manager is no longer with the club where his gambling led to an FA investigation.

The case was complicated by the manager receiving anonymity, with one person with knowledge of the FA processes understood to have been doubtful the governing body would be willing to "grapple with the issue" by punishing him.

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