Townsend guilty of betting
Townsend gambling

Young Winger a Hit After Putting his Gambling Mistake Behind him

So, the England football team have another hero to worship, as Andros Townsend put in a man of the match performance for the national football team in a must win World Cup qualifier against Montenegro. Scoring one and setting up another, the young winner didn’t look like a man making his international debut, something that looked very unlikely after some mobile sports betting escapades this summer.

The Tottenham Hotspur winger was banned for 4 months, 3 of which were suspended, and fined GBP 18,000 after being found guilty of breaching FA gambling rules. One difference, though: this young man hadn’t bet on a single game he or his team were involved in.

After becoming bored, Townsend was drawn in by TV adverts for well known mobile sportsbooks, and placed bets on games in a competition he had played in that year. Luckily for him, the FA were satisfied of his ignorance, and – coupled with the small sums involved – he got off lightly.

Yet it serves as a good reminder for any aspiring footballers: taking part in a little iPhone gambling could seriously damage your career.

It’s likely Townsend will want to forget it all now, and should he win a second cap, we could see the best side to the winger again.