Athlone players to fight charges

The saga around Athlone Town is set to continue after the Players Football Association of Ireland vowed to take the defence of their members to the Court of Arbitration for Sport should the FAI find them guilty of charges brought over the weekend.

Following a two-month probe into suspicious betting patterns surrounding three Athlone games, the FAI will hold an independent disciplinary committee hearing on August 3.

The charges cited concern breaches of three FAI rules on manipulating matches, betting/gambling and bringing the game into disrepute.