Barry Fry Accepts FA Misconduct Charge over Striker Bet

By Simon Wright, Last updated Jan 26, 2021

Peterborough United’s Director of Football and former Manager, Barry Fry, has accepted an FA charge of misconduct involving him placing a bet on former ‘Posh’ striker Jack Marriot.

In a misconduct hearing held by the Football Association, they heard that Fry had placed a £1000 insurance bet with the bookmakers Corals.

The purpose of the bet was to cover any bonus payments Peterborough United would be liable for, should Marriot  had finished last season as the club’s top scorer, or should the club gain promotion from League One.

As a result of Fry’s admission to betting misconduct, the FA have fined him £35,000 and banned him from all football related activity for a period of one month.

Whilst taking out insurance by football clubs is common to offset any potential outlay of bonuses that clubs may be open to. The placing of bets with bookmakers regarding the outcome of football related activities is expressly forbidden.

Fry who had a chequered managerial career with the likes of Barnet, where he made his name in the mid 1980’s, admitted that “He had been a Prat”. An assertion that the misconduct hearing did not disagree with.

The report into the misconduct hearing released by the FA stated: “While we accept that Mr Fry had no dishonest motive and felt he was acting throughout in the club’s interests, these were foolish and irresponsible actions by an experienced football man.”

In fining Fry a total of £35,000 and banning him from all football related activities for a month ( with a further 3 months suspended ), the Football Association took into account his unblemished record in the game.

Fry’s one month ban commenced on 1st February 2019 and will last until 1st March 2019.

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