The FA is looking into a suspicious betting pattern involving an Arsenal player being booked, but they’re not yet investigating the player’s conduct.

London Colney training pitches (Photo via FootballTrainingGrounds.com)
London Colney training pitches (Photo via FootballTrainingGrounds.com)

The Athletic initially broke the story that the FA were looking into a yellow card received by an Arsenal player in a Premier League fixture this season over concerns of suspicious betting patterns.

Bookmakers notified the FA of an unusual amount of money placed on an Arsenal player receiving the booking, but The Athletic have agreed not to reveal his identity yet.

ESPN report that Arsenal are aware of the situation. At this stage, a formal investigation hasn’t been opened, and the FA are focusing on betting patterns rather than the player’s conduct.

Kieran Trippier was banned by the FA for 10 weeks for betting breaches, after being found to have broken the rules.

Trippier had told a friend to “lump on” his move from Spurs to Atletico Madrid, which the friend did. But they were caught, fined, and punished.

Real Valladolid CF v Atletico de Madrid - Kieran Trippier of Atletico Madrid celebrates after winning the league championship after a La Liga Santander match on May 22, 2021 in Valladolid, Spain. Copyright: Jose Breton
Real Valladolid CF v Atletico de Madrid – Kieran Trippier of Atletico Madrid celebrates after winning the league championship after a La Liga Santander match on May 22, 2021 in Valladolid, Spain. Copyright: Jose Breton

There’s obviously some concern that the Arsenal situation will end in the same way.

But we’re still a way off that, as the FA would need to start an investigation and prove the guilt of the player before they could hand out a punishment.