On March 2, former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was given a four-month suspension, banning him from any football activity for betting violations. He was also fined £150,000.
In addition to the banning, Sturridge’s current club, the Turkish side Trabzonspor, has terminated his contract as part of a mutual agreement between the two sides.
Sturridge initially faced a number of charges alleging that he had passed insider information over a potential transfer back in January 2018. This information was passed to close friends and relatives, who then used it to make wagers.
An independent regulatory commission found him guilty and issued the an inital 6 week penalty against him, with four weeks suspended. However, the FA appealed the decision, arguing that the commission had “misapplied rules in relation to the use of inside information and made findings of fact which could not be sustained.” During the recent hearing, they were able to prove two additional charges that were initially dismissed.