Football Association's new betting rules come into effect

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 01 August 2014

The Football Association's new betting rules that prevent anyone associated with a club in the top eight tiers of English football have come into effect today.

Football Association general secretary Alex Horne has revealed that the new betting laws that have been enforced in English football are being used to help police match-fixing.

As of today, no-one employed by a football club in the top eight tiers of English football will be able to place a bet on anything football-related, and Horne has insisted that the measure has been taken to ensure the integrity of the sport in England.

Horne told Sky Sports News: "It's a much easier message to convey, to communicate and to understand if you are a player, a coach, a manager or a referee. The previous rules were possibly a little bit open to interpretation because it was around the competitions that your club played in.

"It's a simple rule. It isn't because we believe that we have a cultural problem or an issue but it's a perceptive issue betting on football by people playing in football.

"It's just part of our war on match-fixing. Integrity of the game in England is crucial for us and it's what makes the English game so exceptional. It is completely trustworthy and we want to do everything that we can to keep match-fixing out of our game."

Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend and Stoke City striker Cameron Jerome are two players that were found to have breached the previous regulations, resulting in fines of £18,000 and £50,000 respectively.