Football Association considers cutting ties with betting firms

English Football Association is reportedly considering cutting its commercial ties with both sports betting and alcohol firms at the end of the current season.

The FA has recently come under fire for its association with Ladbrokes after Burnley midfielder Joey Barton was given an 18-month suspension for breaking gambling regulations last month.

Nonetheless, FA Chairman Greg Clarke said the consideration began at the start of the season and has nothing to do with the Barton incident.

Clarke commented to The Times: “We are actively considering what our position will be and should be. I have thought about the relationship between betting and football, and alcohol and football, and I raised this at the start of the season.

“I asked for the management team to produce a report on what our position should be on a number of things, and gambling and alcohol were among those things.

“The FA will decide what is appropriate for a governing body, and there is a set of tests we would apply, and they will be different to what should apply to clubs as for a governing body they should be higher.”