English football has been marred by its latest betting breach, although unlike many others seen over the past year it involves a staff member and not a player.
Richard Bredice, the lead team performance analyst at EFL Championship club Burnley FC has been fined £4,500 and suspended for 12 months from all football activity.
The analyst for the Lancashire team admitted placing 456 bets on football matches and other football related matters between 1 November 2014 and 13 December 2022.
Betting on anything related to football – whether this be matches, player transfers, managerial positions, or other topics – is prohibited under the FA’s Rule E1.2.
Recent years have seen a number of prominent players sanctioned for breaching the rule. This has included Ivan Toney, currently playing for the England squad in UEFA Euro 2022, who received an eight-month ban in May 2023.
Other notable offenders include Nottingham Forest’s Harry Toffolo, who was banned for five months for 375 breaches of FA betting rules. The most recent occurrence saw Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali banned for two months in England, following a 10 month ban in Italy.
In Bredice’s case, the Burnley staffer will be fully prohibited for the first six months of his ban, with the following six months suspended until the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.
Notably, most of the branches occurred whilst Bredice was employed by an analyst at 2023/24 Premier League champions Manchester City. Bredice has denied any closeness with Manchester City players, however, taking sole responsibility for the bets.
The FA’s investigation also revealed that Bredice has described Manchester City’s operations regarding integrity, and other areas, as ‘regimented’.
