Scotland spinner set to be available to play in all three formats
ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2022Scotland spinner Mark Watt has signed a contract to play all formats for Derbyshire during the 2023 season, either side of his international commitments.Watt has played regularly for Derbyshire on a number of short-term deals since 2019. He was a key member of the side that reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 T20 Blast, taking 13 wickets with an economy of 8.46 – the team’s best.He again impressed for Scotland at the T20 World Cup, taking 3 for 12 in their win over West Indies, after which he spoke about using a “cheat sheet” on batter’s strengths and weaknesses.”Mark’s attention to detail is what makes him such an exciting cricketer, he’s always taking notes and is meticulous in his preparation for matches, that’s something which will be key for us in all formats next season,” Derbyshire’s head of cricket, Mickey Arthur, said.”It’s that little bit of aggression and innovation which can make all the difference in big games, Mark has both of those qualities in abundance.”He’s an international spinner who has faced some of the world’s best players, he showed at the World Cup he can trouble anyone and we’re really pleased to have Mark back with us for 2023.”Watt also featured for Derbyshire in the Royal London Cup in 2022, as well as playing first-class cricket for first time since 2017. He has made just seven first-class appearances overall but played three times in the County Championship, taking nine wickets at 35.22.Watt said: “I really enjoyed my time with Derbyshire in 2022, so it was an easy decision to come back for next season. You could see from the progress we made last season that we’re building something, and the opportunity to contribute for the club across all formats is something I’m really excited about.”
Glasgow Rangers may have won 3-1 over the weekend to return to winning ways after their shock Scottish Cup defeat last week, but the performance was far from pretty.
Philippe Clement’s side laboured to the victory, which saw Hearts player Jamie McCart score two own goals during the game.
At this stage, it certainly feels as though the Ibrox side are going through the motions, with no clear philosophy being shown on the pitch. Will this be allowed to continue? Or is the Belgian’s time in Glasgow coming to an end?
Things don’t look like they are going to improve anytime soon, and they are as bad, if not worse, than when Michael Beale was in charge between December 2022 and October 2023.
The Englishman wasn’t the right man to lead the Gers, that’s a certainty.
Michael Beale’s spell at Rangers
Beale was Steven Gerrard’s first team coach during his three-and-a-half-year spell in charge of the Gers, and he was widely praised for his tactical approach, which saw the club win their first Premiership crown in a decade.
Beale followed Gerrard to Aston Villa before taking his first steps into management with QPR at the start of the 2022/23 season. When Giovanni van Bronckhorst was sacked in November of that same campaign, Beale was appointed as the new Rangers manager just a couple of weeks later.
Former Rangers boss Michael Beale.
He managed the Light Blues for a total of 43 matches, winning 31 and losing eight, averaging 2.26 points per game. He ended his time in charge of the club by winning 72.1% of his games, which ranks him – statistically anyway – as the second-best manager in the club’s history.
Of course, in terms of actual football and the fact he failed to strengthen the team, wasting money on players such as Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers, his time in Glasgow was a disaster.
Sam Lammers
He did sign Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell, however, and the two were arguably his best signings.
Todd Cantwell’s Rangers statistics
Once valued at £40m by Norwich City, Cantwell had fallen down the pecking order at Carrow Road, which allowed the Gers to sign him in January 2023.
Six goals and five assists between February and May 2023 proved that Cantwell was turning into an excellent signing for the club. Someone who could perhaps be the fulcrum of the team ahead of 2023/24.
Metric
2022/23
2023/24
Goals
6
7
Assists
4
5
Big chances created
5
7
Successful dribbles per game
1.5
1.2
Key passes per game
1.3
1.7
Unfortunately, while he may have registered 15 goal contributions during his only full season at Ibrox, Cantwell often went long spells without showing enough, and it soon became clear that he wasn’t part of Clement’s plans going forward.
Rangers showed interest in a host of players during Beale’s time in charge. Might things have been different if he was able to sign a couple of players who popped up as targets?
One player who was linked during the January transfer window in 2023 has established himself as one of the best attackers in the Premier League – Cole Palmer.
Rangers's pursuit of Cole Palmer
Beale was keen on bolstering his squad during the winter window, just weeks after taking the reins at Ibrox.
While Raskin and Cantwell eventually joined, the it was reported that the Light Blues had a loan bid rejected by Manchester City for a then relatively unknown Palmer.
The attacking midfielder had featured only sparingly under Pep Guardiola during the first half of the season, failing to score or assist, but there was no denying his enormous talent.
A loan spell in Scotland could have given Rangers a major boost. Who knows, he might have spurred the club on to a trophy. In the end, the move didn’t materialise and Cantwell was the sole attacking player who joined the club.
One that got away
Whatever happened to Palmer anyway?
Cole Palmer's current market value
Palmer helped City win a treble of Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League during the second half of the 2022/23 season, and it appeared as though his future was looking bright at the Etihad.
That summer, a bid of £40m arrived from Chelsea, and it was duly accepted. Securing a fee like this for a player who had featured only 41 times for City looked like it was too good a deal to turn down.
18 months later, Palmer has emerged as one of the best players in the top flight, starring for the Stamford Bridge side under both Mauricio Pochettino and now Enzo Maresca.
Indeed, under the Argentinian, the 22-year-old was perhaps the brightest spark of an otherwise disappointing season. Across all competitions, the Englishman scored 25 goals and grabbed 15 assists, leading the Blues to a sixth-place finish.
In the Premier League, he averaged 3.2 shots per game along with creating 17 big chances and averaging 2.1 key passes per match, showcasing his talents across a range of metrics.
He made the England squad for Euro 2024, going on to score in the final against Spain and this set him up for another excellent season.
At the time of writing, Palmer has registered 20 goal contributions while Guardiola, his former manager, Guardiola, even dubbed the youngster a “machine” following City’s victory over Chelsea earlier this season.
These performances have seen his market value soar since arriving in London for what now seems like a paltry £40m.
Indeed, according to Transfermarkt, Palmer is now worth a staggering €130m (£110m), indicating that Chelsea will stand to make a huge profit on him should they decide to cash in.
Imagine how good he would have been for Rangers if he joined the club on loan two years ago.
Instead, Cantwell was signed. The former Norwich starlet enjoyed several purple patches at the Gers, but rarely demonstrated his true potential.
He is currently back in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers, having left Glasgow last summer.
Rangers must regret selling £500k star who is worth more than Igamane
Rangers sold a player last summer who is now worth more than Hamza Igamane.
Maurizio Sarri, who was most recently the head coach of Lazio, is on top of AC Milan's shortlist to replace Sergio Conceicao at the end of the season.
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Sarri on Milan's radarCould replace Conceicao at end of seasonPortuguese set for sack after poor resultsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to a report from AC Milan are going to begin the 2025-26 season with a new manager at the helm, with Sarri among those who's right at the top of the managerial shortlist. Current boss Conceicao is set to be sacked at the end of the current season. Indeed, the Rossoneri are planning to activate the option to terminate the Portuguese's contract this summer, despite signing a deal until 2026.
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Sarri is once again being linked with the Milan job as the club looks to reset ahead of the 2025–26 season. The former Lazio boss was considered in December as a replacement for Paulo Fonseca but turned down a short-term offer, leading the club to appoint Conceicao. While Conceicao delivered a Supercoppa Italiana triumph over Inter early in his tenure, he has struggled to revive Milan’s domestic form. With Champions League qualification now virtually out of reach, the club is keen to install an Italian tactician, placing Sarri – who stepped down from Lazio following their Champions League exit to Bayern Munich last year – high on their shortlist.
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Along with Sarri, a host of other Italian managers have been linked with the Milan job. Among them is the currently-unemployed Massimiliano Allegri, who last managed Juventus. Marseille's Roberto De Zerbi has also been rumoured with a return to Italy, while other names such as Gian Piero Gasperini, Antonio Conte, and Vincenzo Italiano have also popped up.
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While Milan have looked a pale shadow of the team that lifted the Scudetto in the 2021-22 season, they could still have a chance to end the season on a high. Conceicao's men are set to face Bologna in the final of the Coppa Italia on May 15. Before that, they will take on Genoa on Monday, May 5, followed by Bologna on May 10 in two crucial Serie A fixtures.
“It’s time for the guys to rise up, time for myself personally to put my hand up and make a massive play for us”
Andrew McGlashan16-Dec-2022Dean Elgar has called on his batters to make a name for themselves, but is also willing to carry the burden of scoring runs on his shoulders as South Africa look to defy the callow statistics of their top order to continue a remarkable run in Australia – they have claimed the last three series there.Elgar and Temba Bavuma are the only specialist batters with previous experience in the country. A huge amount rests on them if South Africa’s strong bowling attack is to have enough runs to work with. But it’s Elgar’s fortunes that are likely to be critical to their chances. He has 13 Test centuries; among the rest of the touring squad there are four. His average of 38.83 is South Africa’s best whereas Australia have two batters – Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith – who stand at over 60.Related
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“All the batters have to stand up,” Elgar said. “It’s been a bit of a talking point that’s been surrounding our batting unit of late. Again, I’ve never shied away from that. It’s time for the guys to rise up, time for myself personally to put my hand up and make a massive play for us. We’ve got a really talented group, they are just a little inexperienced when it comes to Test cricket. They don’t have a lot of baggage coming into the series. They just need to take the opportunities when they come their way.”There has been some controversy around the absence of Ryan Rickelton. He was deemed unfit for the tour, with an ankle surgery at the end of the season provided as the reason, but has been churning out runs in domestic cricket back in South Africa. Elgar, however, remained diplomatic and backed those who had made it to Australia.Elgar was part of South Africa’s 2012 and 2016 series wins in Australia, though his personal contribution to the former was somewhat limited: he bagged a pair on debut at the WACA, albeit in a game South Africa won by 309 runs to decide the series. You only have to look at the names around Elgar in that game to recall the batting riches they did once have: Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis.Since then, Elgar has made two centuries against Australia, but there have been plenty of low scores as well, and his average of 33.55 is below his career level.
“We come from South Africa where the wickets are pretty green and juicy. From a personal point of I don’t really shy away from that and I know our batters don’t either.”Dean Elgar
However, some of his standout performances have secured victories: 83 in Port Elizabeth, 127 in Perth and carrying his bat for 141 in Newlands, an innings that could arguably rank as his best, although that became overshadowed by subsequent events. Five of his Test hundreds came during a stellar 2017 when his batting form peaked and the team need more than the 34.12 he has returned this year, though on some challenging surfaces.”I always carry the weight of scoring runs, I’m the senior batter,” he said. “With my external pressures of being the captain I’ve got to score runs. Very much aware of that. It’s always something I thrive on, think it brings the best out of me.”For the opening Test, the teams were greeted by a pitch that remained very green. Australia were taking it in their stride with the help of local knowledge, while Elgar took the glass-half-full view given where his team’s strengths lie, rather than the weakness.”The wicket does look a little friendly for our bowling unit which is nice, but in saying that the green colour doesn’t really scare us,” he said. “We come from South Africa where the wickets are pretty green and juicy. From a personal point of I don’t really shy away from that and I know our batters don’t either.”Since readmission, South Africa have only played at the Gabba once, on the 2012 tour, which turned into a high-scoring draw. But though Australia’s stranglehold on the venue was ended by India in early 2021, it has remained one of their favourite venues.”We don’t have any dirty laundry in terms of playing at the Gabba,” Elgar said. “The history here is obviously not in our favour and that’s okay. You’ve got to have the mindset of playing to win. Australia’s a really tough place to play cricket but also such a rewarding place if you get things right. You have to go beyond what you are used to and [you] have to savour the moment.”
The agents of a Manchester United player, who has received high praise from Ruben Amorim, are now actively working on a summer move, with a Champions League club keen on a move.
Major rebuild needed at Old Trafford
Man United have recently announced they will make up to 200 more staff redundant, in the latest series of cost-cutting measures put in place by co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, with the club saying: “The transformation plan aims to return the club to profitability after five consecutive years of losses since 2019.”
Difficult decisions are being made behind the scenes to make United profitable again, but a major rebuild of the squad will be needed if they are to start competing for the top honours.
The Red Devils are sitting 15th in the Premier League table with less than a third of the season left to play, so it is clear an overhaul is needed this summer, and a number of first-team players could face the axe.
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One player not mentioned on that list is Mason Mount, who has had a tough time with injuries this season, missing the last 10 Premier League games with a thigh issue.
However, a new report from Inter Live has now revealed Mount’s agents are now actively working on securing a move away from Old Trafford in the summer, with Inter now willing to bring the midfielder in on loan.
Inter would only be willing to sanction a loan move, with an option to buy, but they would be willing to make a significant contribution towards the 26-year-old’s salary, which is said to be very high.
The Englishman arrived at Old Trafford for a fee of £55m nearly two years ago, but his value has now plummeted to just €30m (£25m), after a difficult spell in Manchester.
Mount struggling with injuries
Injuries have not helped the central midfielder, but in truth he has struggled in a Man United shirt ever since arriving from Chelsea, registering just two goal contributions in all competitions.
Amorim has been full of praise for the £250k-per-week earner in the past, saying: “I have to tell you I love that kid. You can look in his eyes that he wants this so bad, and this is the most important thing for me.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim gives instructions to Manchester United'sMasonMount
“I know he was suffering from injuries, he was not on the pitch, but now he’s trying to stay fit and we hope he can continue to be fit, to show all the talent that he’s shown, for example, in Chelsea.”
However, the former Chelsea man has been unable to put his persistent injury problems behind him, having now missed a total of 45 games since joining the Red Devils, so it may be wise to move Mount on this summer, and Inter being willing to make a big contribution to his salary is a bonus.
Raphinha appears set to sign a contract renewal at Barcelona, rejecting lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia in order to remain at the Camp Nou.
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New deal will keep Raphinha at Barca till 2029
Brazilian has 59 goal contributions this season
Ex-Leeds star has rejected huge Saudi offers
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona and Raphinha are close to finalising a contract extension following the Brazilian's incredible season. While certain details, such as his new release clause, are still under discussion, a verbal agreement is reportedly already in place. The new deal is expected to keep the winger at the club until 2029.
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Raphinha's current contract runs until 2027, but talks of an extension have been progressing smoothly since they began in March. Before Barca's 4-3 Clasico win over rivals Real Madrid on Sunday, the former Leeds star confirmed during a press conference that he would be staying at the club. Despite receiving lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia, Raphinha turned them down, reaffirming his commitment to Barcelona's sporting project.
DID YOU KNOW?
Raphinha has been on fire this season, racking up 59 goal contributions in just 54 appearances, with 34 goals and 25 assists. He is currently the fourth-highest scorer in La Liga with 18 goals and sits second in the assist charts with nine. He is tied as the top scorer in the Champions League with 13 goals alongside Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy. While Inter’s Lautaro Martinez and PSG’s Ousmane Dembele will compete in the final, it’s unlikely either will catch up to Raphinha’s tally.
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Raphinha is set to feature for Barcelona in their final three La Liga matches this month as they look to wrap up the La Liga title. The Catalans sit seven points clear of Real after Sunday's Clasico win and now need just three points to reclaim their crown from Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Afghanistan make as many as seven changes from last year’s T20 World Cup squad
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2023Rashid Khan will lead a new-look 18-member Afghanistan squad for the three-match T20I series against UAE with as many as seven changes from that of the T20 World Cup last year. Mohammad Nabi, who stepped down from captaincy after the tournament, has been left out.Zahir Khan along with Rahmat Shah – who has been a regular in the ODI side – have been included in the side with the possibility of debuting in T20Is. Afsar Zazai, Noor Ahmad, and Nijat Masood, each having played under five T20Is each, return as does Karim Janat, who last featured in the Asia Cup. Sharafuddin Ashraf, who was among the reserves for the T20 World Cup, has also been called up to the squad.Apart from Nabi, the omissions include T20 globetrotter Qais Ahmad, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Saleem, and Usman Ghani. Rashid, Qais, and Farooqi among others will return to international set-up after featuring in franchise leagues across the world.Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB chairman, said: “We don’t take any team lightly and have always tended to completely prepare the squad for any event,” he said. “The team has been in the UAE for around 10 days as it was getting ready for the series.”The three-T20I series, which is part of a five-year agreement between Emirates Cricket Board and Afghanistan Cricket Board, starts on Thursday and all the games will be played in Abu Dhabi. The agreement stated that the UAE board will provide logistical and infrastructure support, including hosting Afghanistan’s “home” matches.Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (Capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nijat Masood, Noor Ahmad, Rahmat Shah, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zahir Khan
Ruben Amorim has made it clear he has no plans to quit Manchester United but stood by his fiercely critical comments about his side.
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Coach clarified 'make space for different people' remarkHe explained why he is paying for staff to attend finalBoss backs United to beat Tottenham in BilbaoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The manager was hugely disappointed with his side's performance in the 2-0 defeat by West Ham on Sunday, which saw United fall to 16th in the Premier League. After the game he hinted he might have to walk away from the job if things did not improve next season, saying: "It's not the players' fault. It's my fault, I'm responsible. If we cannot change that really fast, we should give our place to different persons." But he clarified his comments when speaking ahead of next week's Europa League final against Tottenham.
AdvertisementAFPWHAT AMORIM SAID
Amorim said: "What I am saying is that since I arrived here, I am always talking about the standards and I cannot see the team having the results in the Premier League and not take responsibility. I am far from quitting. What I am saying is we need to perform or else they will change us. That is a normal thing."
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The United boss also confirmed that he is paying for his backroom staff and their families to go to Bilbao for the Europa League final and explained that the players backed the move. He explained: "We have a lot of things, people leaving, a lot of changes in the staff, sometimes it is hard [to know] when to give, when to take, to respect the people we are taking their jobs to survive and rebuild. It is complicated for the club to start giving to other members of staff so it is a really hard position. That was explained so in that moment, my reaction was to help. It is not going to change my life. Then we talked to the players and they had the same reaction, everyone does, they want the staff and their families there in the final."
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Amorim explained that accessing the Champions League via winning the Europa League was more important than lifting the trophy itself. He said: "Personally for me I think Champions League is more important for everything – to prepare the next season. We are supposed to be in the Champions League. Europa League here is not enough and you have that feeling here. The best way to help us get in the top in a few years is the Champions League – it’s not the cup. So for me the Champions League is more important."
While betting on the football can add a bit of fun to the weekend for supporters, it remains strictly forbidden for players to get involved.
In order to maintain the game’s integrity, the FA has in place a worldwide ban for those involved in football, namely players, club staff and officials working in the Premier League down to the eighth tier of English football, as well as the top two tiers in women’s football.
Rules are more relaxed for those who play below these levels, but they are still barred from betting on any game or competition they can participate in and/or influence.
The ban prohibits these individuals from betting on anything football-related, including the sharing of inside information and match-fixing.
16 times professional footballers were banned
Some of these guys make Luis Suarez look like an angel!
ByAlex Caple Oct 27, 2023
West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta is currently embroiled in a betting scandal which could result in the Brazilian receiving a lifetime ban from the FA. His hearing is set to take place in March 2025, lasting three weeks.
Signed by the Hammers in August 2022, Paqueta was investigated for potential betting breaches in August 2023, before being charged at the end of last season, having been accused of getting booked deliberately.
In addition, the Hammers ace has also been charged with multiple breaches of failing to comply with the FA’s investigations.
Should Paqueta be banned for life, it would be unprecedented at this level of the English game. However, if a more lenient punishment befalls him, he would be joining a number of Premier League players to face temporary bans and sanctions for breaking betting rules.
We’ve taken a look at those players below, ranked by the severity of their punishments.
9 Martin Demichelis Fined £22,058 (2016)
Former Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis escaped a football ban in 2016 despite breaking the FA’s rules on betting.
It was reported that the Argentinian placed 29 bets on football matches over the course of four weeks in early 2016.
Now manager of Mexican club Monterrey, the centre-back left City that summer to join Espanyol in La Liga.
8 Cameron Jerome Fined £50,000 (2013)
Cameron Jerome was another player lucky enough to escape a suspension from the FA, despite admitting to “repeatedly” breaching betting regulations, according to reports.
Playing for Stoke City at the time, Jerome was fined £50,000 and warned about his future conduct, but did not miss any football as a result.
Perhaps going in his favour was the fact that none of his breaches concerned matches or competitions he was involved in.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace midfielder Andros Townsend was banned and fined for breaching betting regulations in 2013.
While he was not betting on games he was involved in, the FA banned him for four months, with all but one of those months suspended.
With Townsend’s ban falling in the summer, he didn’t miss a single match, though he did voluntarily withdraw from the England squad for the U21 European Championship and was fined £18,000.
6 Harry Toffolo 5-month suspended ban, fined £20,956 (2023)
Harry Toffolo
Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo was handed a suspended five-month ban in September 2023 after breaching betting rules on 375 occasions.
Reports at the time appeared to suggest that these breaches were related to bets on football and passing on inside information during a period of over three years ending in March 2017 while playing for Norwich City.
The independent commission’s report said that the player’s mental health was a mitigating factor in his betting offences, with the player’s situation thankfully improving having now kicked a gambling addiction.
Toffolo’s suspended ban remains active today, and will expire at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
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Kieran Trippier was given a 10-week ban from football for breaking betting rules around the time he joined Atletico Madrid from Spurs in 2019.
In late 2020, Trippier was found guilty of passing on information regarding his prospective move to Atletico Madrid before it became public knowledge, effectively hinting to a friend to bet on him switching clubs.
The ban was briefly lifted following an appeal from his new club, but Trippier still missed 11 matches during that period and was ordered to pay £70,000.
4 Daniel Sturridge 4-month ban, fined £150,000 (2020)
Daniel Sturridge was handed a part-suspended ban and fined £75,000 for two breaches of betting rules regarding a potential transfer move during his time at Liverpool.
However, the FA appealed the decision, which had essentially banned the forward for a couple of weeks despite Sturridge breaking the strict betting rules in place. His fine was then doubled to £150,000 – the highest on this list.
Sturridge was investigated for instructing his brother to bet on him joining Sevilla in January 2018. The FA argued that Sturridge’s family used his inside info to earn money in the betting markets.
Thousands of pounds were placed as bets, with some £20k even being rejected by bookmakers, such was the suspicious activity at the time.
Sturridge ended up joining West Brom that winter and missed out on the England World Cup squad that year.
The charges saw his contract at Turkish club Trabzonspor terminated, and he ended his playing career at Perth Glory before moving into punditry.
3 Ivan Toney 8-month ban, fined £50,000 (2023)
serhou-guirassy-ivan-toney-tottenham-opinion
England striker Ivan Toney was banned from football for hundreds of betting breaches, resulting in an eight-month suspension between May 2023 and January 2024.
Playing for Brentford at the time, he was also fined £50,000 after admitting to 232 breaches of the rules, which included betting on his team to lose, as well as his own performance.
While a lifetime ban is possible under those circumstances, Toney’s provisional 15-month ban was reduced owing to his gambling addiction.
The ban put his place in England’s Euro 2024 squad under threat, but Toney returned to form in time to make the team, netting a penalty in the crucial shootout win over Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
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Newcastle United signed Sandro Tonali in the summer of 2023, but by the following October, the Italian had been banned for 10 months and fined €20,000 (£17,380) for breaching betting regulations during his time in Serie A with Milan.
As part of his recovery from a gambling addiction, Tonali was ordered to return to Italy to speak to young players about the dangers of betting.
Before his ban took effect, he also placed bets on Newcastle to win on four occasions, with the FA handing him a suspended two-month ban and a £20,000 fine.
The FA said the money placed on those bets was worth over €100,000 (£85,600).
1 Joey Barton 18-month ban, fined £30,000 (2017)
Joey Barton’s playing career was effectively ended by an unprecedented 18-month ban for 1,260 bets placed over a 10-year period.
Barton, who claimed he had a gambling addiction, felt the length of the ban was harsh and felt a player who was “less controversial” would have received a lesser punishment.
He had also been banned for one month during his time at Rangers by the Scottish FA, while some of his bets involved his own team losing – albeit while he was not playing.
It was thought he was placing an average stake of around £150 per bet, which would total £189,000 being spent on betting alone.
A month after the ban took effect, he was released by Burnley, and Barton moved into management after serving his suspension.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has offered some transfer advice to Cristiano Ronaldo after the Al-Nassr star hinted at a summer move.
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Ronaldo's future currently unclearHas hinted at a move away from Al-NassrGiannis offers his advice to Portugal starFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Ronaldo's future is generating plenty of headlines after the Portugal star hinted he could be leaving Al-Nassr following their final game of the season. The 40-year-old has since being linked with a variety of different clubs as the football world waits to see the forward's next move.
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Ronaldo is reportedly wanted by Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Hilal who are keen to add a big-name after waving goodbye to Neymar. Al-Hilal are also set to participate in the Club World Cup which could prove a temptation for Ronaldo. Giannis, who has already made it clear how much he admires Ronaldo, also has a few ideas about where the Portugal star could play next.
WHAT GIANNIS SAID
He posted on Instagram: "Come and play in Greece. Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK, or PAOK. I am not picky whatever you want."
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Ronaldo is yet to decide where he will play his football next season, meaning the speculation over his future will continue to rage. In the meantime, he will switch focus to the Nations League Final Four and a semi-final date for Portugal with Germany.