The 30-year-old, who is now
without a club after leaving the Turkish side by mutual consent, has
also seen his original fine of £75,000 doubled
The English Football Association (FA) has suspended Daniel Sturridge from all football related activity until the end of June 17 following an investigation into betting misconduct, with FIFA also confirming that the former Liverpool striker’s ban applies worldwide.
Sturridge, most recently of Trabzonspor in Turkey, was originally handed a £75,000 fine and a six-week suspension back in July of 2019, with four of those weeks having been pushed back until August 31, 2020.
However, it has now been decided that the Regulatory Commission’s
punishment was “unduly lenient”. The striker has seen the originally
fine doubled to £150,000 and, effective immediately, will not be allowed
to participate in any football activity for four months.
An
FA statement released on Monday reads: “Daniel Sturridge has been
suspended from all football and football-related activity from today
until the end of June 17, 2020.
“Following an appeal by the FA of the previous findings of the
independent Regulatory Commission in this case, an independent Appeal
Board has found that the Regulatory Commission misapplied the FA’s rules
in relation to the use of inside information and made findings of fact
which could not be sustained.
“As a result, the Appeal Board has found proven two further charges
which were originally dismissed. Other factual findings of the
Regulatory Commission were left undisturbed.
“In relation to the
sanction, the Appeal Board agreed with the FA that the penalty
originally imposed on Mr Sturridge was unduly lenient and therefore
increased his effective playing ban from two weeks to four months. The
Appeal Board also doubled the fine to £150,000.
“The written reasons in this matter are available below and provide
considerable detail in relation to all the charges and the Appeal
Board’s determinations of them. As will be clear, the FA takes any form
of betting misconduct and the provision of inside information very
seriously.
“FIFA has confirmed that the suspension will be of worldwide effect.”
The news comes following a statement released by Trabzonspor on Monday in which the Super Lig side relayed that Sturridge’s three-year contract had been terminated by mutual consent.
It had been speculated that the England man’s fitness issues had been the cause of the parting of ways, but the FA’s communique has cleared up the matter.
Indeed, those investigating the case released a 65-page document on their findings, all relating back to the player breaching the “inside information” rule in 2018, during which time he had given details to family and friends regarding a potential move to Sevilla.
