Five Footballers Who Like To Gamble
Within the world of professional football, there are a lot of temptations – especially if you’re sacrificing your body in the name of success week after week. There are constant reasons for players to fall short of the public image created of them, and it’s important to stress how much pressure these men and women are under whenever they step out onto the pitch.
With that being said, there have certainly been a few cases over the years of players taking things a bit too far when it comes to gambling. It’s well known that within football, gambling on games when you’re a professional player is a big no no. Alas, that hasn’t prevented many from succumbing over the years.
Some of the players we’re going to list have simply been accused whereas others have had bans handed down to them, and there are many more out there who continue to play at an elite level. Some have now retired, but in the eyes of the overly critical media, betting scandals will always be something that can be attached to your name with relative ease.
So whether you’re here to check out some live betting or you’re just interested in learning a bit more about this, we’re here to run through five players who have had to face questions during their career about gambling concerns.
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon is widely considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. However, his career hasn’t been without controversy. Back in 2006, he was investigated for illegal betting as part of the Calciopoli scandal involving match-fixing. While he was cleared of all charges and denied betting on Serie A game, he did admit that he placed bets on other sports before a ban was later implemented on players.
Lucas Paqueta
While he may have had a lot of great moments as a West Ham player, Lucas Paqueta has also faced a lot of criticism related to betting. He has been charged by the FA of alleged spot-fixing offences and while he himself didn’t place the bets, they were believed to have been placed by members of his friends and family for a total of around 60 bets.
Ivan Toney
Ivan Toney is perhaps one of the most underrated strikers of his generation, but he’s also had a lot of questions directed at him over his gambling activities. He was banned for eight months after admitting to 232 breaches of the FA’S betting rules and in the midst of that, it was also reported that he actually bet on his own team to lose. He was later diagnosed with a gambling addiction.
Sandro Tonali
The introduction of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United was initially pretty positive – but that shifted when he was handed a 10-month ban from the Italian Football Federation for betting on football matches. The FA in England also got involved, eventually giving him a suspended two-month ban and a fine that was believed to be in excess of £17,000.
Weston McKennie
Weston McKennie is one of the more successful American players of his era and that much is obvious. However, he is also one of 13 players who is being investigated for illegal online betting in Italy. He certainly isn’t alone in this given the volume of other players involved, but he’s definitely one of the bigger names.
