In regards to to the rules of conduct for players and coaches in sports, there’s nothing taken more seriously than gambling. It’s not hard to understand why: while other hot issues in sports such as for example performance enhancing drugs may give some players an advantage that is unfair they do not replace the fundamental competition taking place on the field. Whenever players and coaches gamble in the games, on the other side, the legitimacy of your competition it self is thrown into question.

Made Bets His Team Would Lose

That’s why allegations coming out of Scotland this week are being taken so seriously. The Scottish Football Association the body that is governing soccer in that country is accusing player Ian Ebony of wagering on matches on his own team on many occasions over the past seven years. Worse still, in at the least three of those circumstances, he is accused of betting that his team that is own would.

To be clear, Black just isn’t being accused of attempting to fix the games he played in. Even in the games in which he bet against his team that is own SFA does not believe he attempted to benefit by playing badly or perhaps increasing the opportunity of his team losing.

But it doesn’t suggest that the midfielder that is 28-year-old who currently plays for the Glasgow Rangers, would not face serious punishments for his betting habits. Because of the 13 times he bet on or against their team that is own with 147 other bets he made on matches he didn’t take part in, Black could face a fine of up to $1.3 million.

Violated Anti-Gambling Rules

In making these bets, Black violated an anti-gambling rule disciplinary rule 22 that has been in the books throughout his career, which spanned his time at Hearts, Inverness, and now with the Rangers. The rule states that ‘no club, formal, team official or other member of team staff, player, match official or other individual underneath the jurisdiction of the FA that is scottish shall by any means on a soccer match.’ While there are exceptions for several authorized ‘football pools,’ the ban extends to all football matches anywhere in the world and thus Ebony would be facing punishment also if he had not bet on their own team.

However, the bets on his own team do make the likelihood of even harsher punishments for Black. Based on the SFA, Black could face a suspension system in addition to his fine, in which he could potentially even receive a life time ban from playing soccer.

Black has already had a career that is long clubs in Scotland, you start with a 132-game stint at Inverness from 2004 to 2009. He then moved to the favorite club of his youth, Hearts, for 36 months before joining Rangers year that is last. Black has also played one game for Scotland’s nationwide group, coming in as a substitute in a friendly against Australia. Black’s family includes a long history of playing soccer, as his dad was a player that is professional well, playing for both Hearts and Hibernian.

This isn’t the first time that Black has made headlines for off-the-field tasks. In 2011, he and a teammate had been arrested and charged with medication control at an Edinburgh club, though the case as since been dismissed night. Later that 12 months, when Hearts ended up being struggling to pay player salaries for a small amount of time, he had been said to have taken up a part-time task as being a painter and decorator to cover his bills.