• Football

New betting rules introduced for players and coaches

A new betting ban imposed on players and coaches will remove any grey areas surrounding betting on football, according to Football Association general secretary Alex Horne.

The ban, which has been imposed on Friday, prevents players, managers, club employees and match officials from betting on any football-related matter worldwide as opposed to the previous ruling, which only banned those from betting on a competition with which their club was involved.

"We are really proud of the integrity of the game in this country and it is really important that people trust the integrity of what is happening on the pitch," Horne told Press Association Sport.

"There have been some cases and prosecutions [for match-fixing] in this country and we don't want to see it.

"We want to keep our message as simple as possible - and it cannot be more simple that as a player you cannot bet at all on football."

The ban will apply to the top eight tiers of English football and covers events such as manager appointments and player transfers, applying to all forms of betting.

Videos have been produced as part of an educational drive, including one of Aston Villa academy coach Simone Farina, who won a FIFA award after alerting police to a £160,000 offer he received to influence the outcome of an Italian Cup game involving Gubbio 1910 in 2011.

The videos, which will be distributed to players and clubs by the Professional Footballers' Association, explain other areas of the ban including, passing on inside information on issues surrounding injuries or transfers to friends or family.

Darren Bailey, the FA's director of football governance and regulation, added: "This betting rule change to encompass all aspects of world football provides a simple, clear and straightforward message to all participants concerned, on where the line is drawn."

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