Charged with being in a gambling ad
Everton FC player Yerry Mina is facing Football Association (FA) misconduct charges for allegedly breaking its betting rules. The defender seemingly appeared in an advertisement for a gambling company in his home country of Colombia.
An independent regulatory commission, composed of three people, will investigate the case. Mina’s punishment for the offense depends on what the commission sees fit. They will take into account his plea when deciding on the punishment. The 24-year-old Columbian now has 48 hours to respond to the charge. The deadline to appeal is on Friday at 6pm.
According to the FA statement: “Yerry Mina has been charged with misconduct in relation to the FA’s betting rules. It is alleged the defender breached FA Rule E8 (3) by participating in an advertisement for betting activity which he is prohibited from engaging in.”
Everton FC’s kit sponsor is another gambling company called SportPesa. Every time Mina takes to the field, he wears a shirt advertising a gambling company. Currently, 10 of the 20 teams in the English Premier League have gambling companies as their kit sponsor.
Who is Yerry Mina?
Mina began his career in Colombia and in January 2018 he signed to Barcelona FC from Palmeiras in a deal worth $13.2m. This made him the first Colombian to play for the club. He played only five times for the club before transferring to Everton FC in August 2018. The transfer deal was worth $33.5m. He has since made 13 appearances for the club, scoring one goal.
Mina was a key player for his country during the 2018 World Cup that took place in Russia. He set the record for the most goals scored by a defender in a World Cup, hitting the net three times during the tournament.
FA’s tough stance on gambling
Mina’s is not an isolated case of the FA going after players who breach gambling rules. Daniel Sturridge was recently given a six-week ban from playing and a fine of ￡75,000 ($94,000). This related to his alleged breaching of FA gambling rules in 2018. The independent commission handed down the punishment, which the FA said was too lenient. The FA is appealing and is pushing for Sturridge to be given a six-month ban from the game.
Sturridge allegedly gave information about him potentially transferring from Liverpool FC to Sevilla FC. His family members put bets on the transfer happening. In total, 28 people made bets on this happening, with a total of ￡13,755.82 ($17,200) in bets being accepted by sportsbooks. Sturridge ultimately went on loan to West Bromwich Albion instead of joining Sevilla.
Other well-known footballers to be hit with gambling-related charges recently by the FA includes Paul Scholes and Joey Barton. Scholes was placing football bets during his time as a part-owner of non-league team Salford City.
Joey Barton got an 18-month ban from playing in April 2017 after the FA discovered that he had made more than 1,250 bets on football games in recent years. Barton accepted his punishment, but spoke about how many footballers struggle with gambling. He said the activity is a major part of football culture.