Michael Moffat banned for 6 games over Ayr betting

Ayr United striker Michael Moffat has been handed an immediate six-match ban for breaching football betting rules.
Ayr Utd striker Michael Moffat, left attends a disciplinary hearing before being found guilty of breaching betting rules. Picture: SNSAyr Utd striker Michael Moffat, left attends a disciplinary hearing before being found guilty of breaching betting rules. Picture: SNS
Ayr Utd striker Michael Moffat, left attends a disciplinary hearing before being found guilty of breaching betting rules. Picture: SNS

The 29-year-old faced two Scottish Football Association charges, one of which was that he gambled on six matches involving his own team.

A statement on his club’s official website read: “This afternoon Michael Moffat’s tribunal with the SFA judicial panel was held at Hampden Park. Michael was found guilty of the two charges and sanctioned with no fine and to serve a six-match suspension with immediate effect.”

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Moffat was charged with making seven bets on six matches involving Ayr, between August 3, 2012, and August 10, 2013. The notice of complaint did not allege that the player had bet against his team.

Moffat was also found guilty of betting on a total of 150 football matches, breaching the SFA’s controversial rule 33, which forbids players from gambling on any match around the world.

Moffat, who has scored 18 goals this season, has been hit with an immediate ban which is twice as heavy as the one meted out to Rangers midfielder Ian Black in September, although Moffat escaped a fine.

Black was fined £7,500 and given a ten-match ban, of which seven games were suspended, after admitting betting on matches involving his own team. The SFA charge stated that three of the bets concerned were on his club not to win.

Black was also issued with a censure after admitting betting on 147 other matches.

In both cases, the SFA stressed there was no evidence to suggest a breach of rule 34, which covers influencing the outcome of a game in order to benefit financially through betting.

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