Former Liverpool Striker Devastated by Betting Ban

By Simon Wright, Last updated Feb 4, 2021

Former Liverpool and England forward Daniel Sturridge is reported to be devastated after being hit by a four month ban from football, after being found to have breached the game’s stringent betting rules.

Last year Sturridge  was given a six week ban, four of which were suspended, alongside a fine of £75,000 by an independent regulatory commission.

However, the Football Association have successfully appealed the original penalty meted out to Sturridge, after complaining it was too lenient, which now sees Sturridge banned from the game for four months. The fine Sturridge has to pay has also been doubled by the appeal board to £150,000.

Furthermore, Sturridge has also had his contract with Turkish side Trabzonspor terminated by mutual agreement. The former Liverpool man subsequently took to social media yesterday afternoon, using his YouTube channel to bemoan the penalty levelled at him and his devastation at having his season ended prematurely.

Sturridge went on to say: “I just want to say it’s been a very long and drawn-out process over the last couple of years and difficult to concentrate on my football.”

“I feel the betting companies and the practice and process of people placing bets on players’ moving clubs has to be stopped and although the appeal panel had recognised I hadn’t bet and no one else had bet, I was still charged.”

“It was very disappointing and upsetting for me to hear the news that the appeal panel had overturned the original highly qualified panel’s ruling. With that being said, it is devastating for me and I’m absolutely gutted about it. My season is over and I am devastated.”

FIFA the game’s world governing body have also confirmed that the ban handed out to Sturridge applies worldwide.

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