This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has been handed a six-week ban and a £75,000 fine by the Football Association for breaching betting rules.
According to the FA, Sturridge allegedly passed on information about his loan move to West Bromwich Albion in January 2018, which was not publicly available at the time.
Sturridge's loan move was considered unlikely just 10 days before it happened, with bookmakers offering odds of 25-1 against it.
Although there was no evidence that Sturridge placed a bet on his loan move, it is understood that someone else may have done so based on information provided by the player.
Sturridge's representative, his uncle Dean Sturridge, has claimed that the England striker has never gambled in football due to his strong religious beliefs.
However, Liverpool released a statement in November 2018 saying that Sturridge had told them 'categorically that he has never placed a bet on football.'
Sturridge will be able to resume playing in just a fortnight's time, as four weeks of his six-week ban will be suspended for a year.
He is now free to sign for a new club in time to start the season, after being released by Liverpool last month.
