Accrington Players Bury'd for Match Fixing

The Football Association, moving as swiftly as ever, has charged five footballers with a breach of gambling rules. They were found to have placed significantly large bets on the result of Accrington vs. Bury, played on the last day of last season. The five footballers, four from Accrington and the other from Bury, staked bets of over £10,000 on the result, with Bury winning the eventual match 2-0.

At the end of last season, I recall the incident vividly. The Friday before the match, bookmakers had suspended the market, meaning that no-one was able to get a bet on the game. No information followed this, and thus there was a lot of confusion and curiousity amongst both the the bookie and the punter.

It soon followed that there had been significantly irregular betting patterns concerning the game, and that Bury had been backed quite heavily for the victory. Instantly one knew that the shit was going to hit the fan, although no-one could have expected it to have taken almost a whole year later for anyone to get charged.

Coincidentally, that summer I spent a week on my FA Coaching Course with a Bury player, who when hearing I worked for William Hill was curious if I knew anything of the event. This player was happy to convey his side of the story. On arrival at the ground, the players were met with a heavy police presence, something rather unusual for lower league football. The player was oblivious to the betting syndicate at the time, but whilst at the ground had heard that there was a plan for Accrington to allow his Bury side to win. Apparently, it was an annual ritual that, if neither side were playing for anything come the end of the season, Accrington would just allow Bury to win the game. The player was glad to be the beneficiary, and not having to consider throwing the game himself. However, as he tells it, Accrington kicked off and their centre-forward sprinted towards goal and unleashed an effort that the Bury goalkeeper only just tipped over the bar. The Bury player commented to the centre-forward that he thought they weren't trying to win, and the forward responded by saying he hadn't heard anything about it. After that, it was game on.

Now, I'm not saying anyone is innocent or guilty, but it is certainly an interesting angle on the whole event. The chances are that Bury would have won the game anyway. If you are going to throw a match, fair play to the Accrington players for making it a nothing match, and trying to win as much out of it as possible. However... it is entirely unprofessional, and having been caught, should certainly be given a life ban from football.