HUDDERSFIELD TOWN star Kian Harratt has been banned for four months after placing 484 bets on football over a three-year period.
He was fined £3,200 for breaking the rules – which included betting on his OWN team.
2
Kian Harratt banned for four months Credit: Rex
The ban relates to a series of betting breaches spanning from June 2020 to June 2023.
As part of an FA hearing to decide the length of the ban, Harratt admitted betting on matches he was involved in.
In his statement, Harratt said: “I am also aware of the fact that some of the bets I have placed are more problematic than others, particularly those involving my team.
“Although the vast majority of bets I have placed on football do not involve my own team, I understand the problems that betting involving my team can cause.”
The striker admitted he had placed numerous bets on his side to lose, saying: “Of the 44 bets I’ve placed, 36 have involved Huddersfield.
“I wasn’t in the matchday squad for any of the games involving Huddersfield that I bet on, as I was either out on loan or training with the reserves at the time.
“Nine of the 36 bets involving Huddersfield involved selections for Huddersfield to lose. Although, as explained above, I was not in the squad for these matches, I accept that these may be the most serious football bets I have placed.
“As the spontaneous nature of the bets I placed shows, I didn’t plan or put much thought into the teams I included.
2
The rule breaks covered loan spells at Port Vale and Bradford – where he admitted he still bet on Huddersfield games Credit: PA
“Looking back, it’s hard for me to explain how or why I would have chosen certain teams or matches to bet on.
In particular, I cannot explain why I would bet against my own team, when it is now clear to me that this is something footballers should not do.
Harratt explained to the FA that he started gambling when he opened an online betting account on his 18th birthday.
The striker initially limited his betting to horse racing, but explained that it soon expanded to football.
He told the FA: “Unfortunately, as my betting history included in the FA Charge Letter shows, once I started betting on football I could not stop, despite numerous attempts to do so.”
“Now I see that the number of bets I place is directly proportional to the amount of time I spend on the field.
“I found myself constantly trying to replicate the feeling of playing regular first-team football, and when such opportunities weren’t forthcoming, my gambling activity increased to get the same adrenaline or ‘buzz’ I got from playing.”
He confirmed that all the bets he placed were in his name and that he did not try to hide his identity when he gambled.
This is despite Harratt admitting: “I readily accept that I received training and education which included parts about gambling as an academy player and I was aware that the rules said footballers could not bet on football.”
Huddersfield released a statement in response to the ban saying: “Kian immediately admitted wrongdoing after being charged and co-operated fully with subsequent FA and club investigations.
“The club will now support Kian, who is currently recovering from hamstring surgery, over the next four months before his return to football activities.”
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education