FA to respond to latest allegations

Football is facing further unwelcome headlines after an investigation was launched into claims that several top-flight managers have laid huge bets on Premiership matches.

The allegations were made by a disgruntled former employee of offshore bookmakers Victor Chandler, whom it is also understood has also made claims about the betting habits of a number of players.

The Football Association are to investigate the matter, which comes soon after the controversy surrounding the BBC Panorama investigation into bungs involving managers and agents.

The subject of bungs is likely to resurface when Lord Stevens delivers his findings from his his inquiry into alleged illegal payments in the Premier League next month.

FA rules explicitly forbid managers and players betting on competitions they are involved in.

An FA spokesman said: “We will investigate these reports to see if there has been any breach of our regulations and we would welcome any information that would help our inquiries.”

A High Court injunction was granted, after an application by Chandler’s lawyers, prohibiting the identification of the managers, and some players, named by the former employee.

A senior FA figure admitted the timing of the latest allegations was unwelcome but said the game needed to deal with such problems.

He said: “Things are coming out which have not come out before - whether it is the Stevens inquiry, Panorama or these latest claims – and that is good in a way because it shows we are determined to investigate any wrongdoing connected to the game.”

PR guru Max Clifford has been working on behalf of Gibraltar-based Chandler.

Clifford said: “I am representing Victor Chandler as I have done for a number of years and he wants to maintain his clients’ right to privacy. We were at the High Court making sure no-one could reveal their names.”

It has been reported that four Premiership managers are involved and one of them made bets totalling £12m (€17.8m) in one year alone, losing £415,000 (€616,000).