Football Association Calls for Ban on Premier League Yellow Card Betting

Posted on: August 28, 2023, 06:35h. 

Last updated on: August 28, 2023, 12:57h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

The Football Association (FA) is urging betting companies to cease the practice of wagering on yellow cards in soccer matches, according to the Daily Mail. The media outlet asserts that the FA has already engaged in discussions with the betting sector and officials regarding this matter, and a change may be imminent.

Bristol City's Antoine Semenyo receives a yellow card in the FA Cup
Bristol City’s Antoine Semenyo receives a yellow card in the FA Cup. The Football Association wants to ban betting on yellow cards and other bookings. (Image; Getty Images)

The organization is also aiming to prohibit betting on other penalties, including red cards and other types of bookings. These include prohibiting betting on corner kicks and the number of corners in a game.

Some operators, including Unibet and 32Red, have already voluntarily stopped offering wagers on penalties and similar in-game actions, The Daily Mail reports.

The FA and the Premier League have stated they support the idea. The FA’s initiative is reportedly gaining momentum with the Premier League and the UK’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which helped shape the gambling white paper, also supports the idea.

Some sports betting markets, such as Germany and Sweden, have already implemented a ban on yellow card betting.

There’s no clear indication of when the change could come or if it will be accepted.

The change has come after several high-profile match-fixing and betting scandals.

Players Under Investigation

These developments arise amidst an ongoing investigation into West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta. The inquiry delves into three situations where a yellow card was issued against him in games.

Paqueta is just the most recent player under scrutiny for potential misconduct. Ivan Toney is taking a break from English soccer after admitting to breaking FA’s anti-betting rules 232 times. He later asserted that he didn’t commit many of those violations.

There have been several other investigations in the last five seasons. Granit Xhaka, while playing for Arsenal, and Ciaran Brown, a defender from Oxford United, had been investigated but never charged. Kynan Isac, previously a defender for Reading, received a ban of 12 years as a consequence of his lack of self-control in a match belonging to the FA Cup.

Spain’s Luiz Henrique is also under investigation for allegedly participating in sports betting fixing in Brazil. The 22-year-old attacker was summoned to testify by his country’s Congress, along with Paqueta.

As in most sports, FA athletes and others with ties to the organization aren’t allowed to bet on the sport. Some athletes have tried to argue that they weren’t aware of the rule, although that lie deserves a red card.