Five English players face FA gambling charges

Five professional English players were on Tuesday charged with breaking the Football Association’s betting rules by gambling thousands of pounds on a League Two match last season.

The quintet are accused of betting on Accrington Stanley’s final game of the 2007-08 season at home to Bury.

Under FA rules, players, managers or coaching staff are prohibited from betting on the result or progress of any match or competition in which the participant is participating or has any direct or indirect influence.

Four of the accused then at Accrington – Jay Harris, David Mannix, Robert Williams and Peter Cavanagh – and Andrew Mangan, who was at Bury, have been charged with betting on a victory for Accrington.

Both Harris and Cavanagh played in the game which ended 2-0 to Bury.

All five face serious sanctions and long bans if the charges are proven.

An FA statement said: “All five are alleged to have placed bets on Bury to win this match. Mannix is alleged to have placed stakes to the value of approximately 4,000 pounds; Mangan 3,500; Harris 2,000; Williams 1,000; and Cavanagh on a five pound accumulator.”

The FA were alerted after bookies in the north-west reported unusual betting patterns in the lead-up to the match with higher than usual amounts being staked in particular areas of the country.

Harris, who is now registered at Chester City, has also been charged in relation to betting on a game involving his new club and another two League Two fixtures.

Cavanagh has also been charged with further breaches in relation to his betting on another Accrington Stanley match in which he played and on a number of other League Two matches.

All five have until 23 April to respond to the charges.

Cavanagh and Mannix are former Liverpool trainees, while Harris was a trainee at Everton. Cavanagh and Williams are still registered with Accrington while Mannix is at Chester. Mangan is now with Blue Square Premier side Forest Green.