Manager who gambled on football is secretly spared punishment by FA

It's happened at the same time Ivan Toney is serving an eight-month suspension

As revealed by The Athletic the manager - who cannot be named for legal reasons - had eight betting accounts and admitted to being a gambling addict in evidence presented to a court case last year in which two former footballers were accused of blackmailing him.

The majority of those bets had been placed on horse racing but some had been placed on his own sport - thus breaking the FA's rules on gambling on the same sport.

In response, the FA decided not to take any more action and issued a written warning that the FA has tried to keep away from the media to avoid any challenging questions.

The manager's identity cannot be revealed because of a court order that was made when the two ex-players, Alan Rogers and Steven Jennings, were due to go on trial last year.

Rogers was charged with one count of blackmail and another of perverting the course of justice while Jennings faced the same charges as well as another alleged offence of blackmail.

Both had pleaded not guilty to the charges and the case was dropped after the unnamed manager decided that he no longer wanted to go through with the trial.

Related links:

• Nottingham Forest defender given suspended five-month ban for breaching betting rules
• Ivan Toney bet on his own team to lose 13 times as FA reveal reasons behind ban
• Ivan Toney posts cryptic message after FA reveal reasons behind ban