Bradley Wood banned from football for six years after breaching FA betting rules

Alfreton Town v York City
Bradley Wood takes the second half penalty that was saved by Adam Bartlett. — Alfreton Town v York City Bradley Wood takes the second half penalty that was saved by Adam Bartlett.

Alfreton Town's Bradley Wood has been banned from football for six years for breaching Football Association betting rules while at Lincoln City.

Wood, who rejoined Alfreton from Lincoln at the end of last season, was found by the FA to have intentionally received yellow cards in two of the Imps’ FA Cup matches last season.

Those matches were against Ipswich Town in the third round of the competition on 17th January 2017 and the fifth round tie against Burnley on 18th February 2017.

An FA tribunal said seven people, including two close friends of Wood, had placed bets on the 26-year-old defender being booked in those two matches.

The potential winnings totalled around £10,000 but not all were paid out.

Wood contested the two charges of match fixing but admitted to 23 other charges of betting offences - yet all 25 charges were found to be proven by the FA.

As well as the six-year ban, he was also fined £3,725 and ordered to pay a contribution towards court costs of £1,550.

A statement issued by the FA said: “Bradley Wood will serve a six-year suspension from football and all football activity from March 9, 2018, to 8 March, 2024, after committing 25 breaches of The FA’s Integrity and Betting Rules.”

Full written reasons of the Independent Regulatory Commission can be found on the FA website here.