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HESTER NOW IN THE DOCK

Montrose striker faces a hefty ban after gambling on football

By IAIN COLLIN

MONTROSE striker Kane Hester is facing a lengthy suspension after being accused of betting on football.

The 27-year-old, who joined the Gable Endies for a club-record fee from Elgin City earlier this month, has been hit with a Scottish FA notice of complaint alleging offences in five seasons from 2014 to 2019.

The SFA charges were put on hold whilst the player dealt with a recent court case. Hester (pictured) was cleared at Dundee Sheriff Court in March of defrauding a bookmaker.

However, after investigations made by the SFA following the end of the court case, the former Arbroath and Albion Rovers forward has been accused of breaching the governing body’s disciplinary rule 31.

It states that ‘no club, official, team official or other member of team staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall gamble in any way on a football match’.

It is alleged that Hester placed bets ‘on multiple occasions’ between August 2014 and April 2019.

The sanctions available range from a three-match suspension to ‘expulsion from participation in the game’. It is thought more likely that Hester will land a punishment somewhere in the region of eight to 12 games.

The prolific forward signed a three-year deal with hometown team Montrose earlier this month after asking Elgin, where he scored 84 goals in 160 games, for a transfer.

He faces a Hampden hearing on June 15.

Earlier this month, the English FA banned Brentford striker Ivan Toney from playing for eight months for a catalogue of betting breaches.

The England striker repeatedly placed bets on matches involving his own team, including 13 occasions when he backed his club to lose, and was found to have lied to the FA over his gambling breaches. The 27-year-old pled guilty to 232 of the 262 charges brought against him. Toney, who was handed a £50,000 fine, was in line for a minimum 12-month ban but was shown leniency after an independent commission heard evidence from a psychiatrist that he was suffering from gambling addiction. Former Hearts and Rangers midfielder Ian Black was given a ten-match ban in 2018 after admitting to placing bets on 160 matches over a seven-year period, including three occasions where he bet against his own team. Morton manager Dougie Imrie and Alloa boss Brian Rice have also served SFA bans for betting on football.

Football

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2023-05-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-05-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/282673281704133

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