Forest Green Rovers has today received written confirmation from the Gambling Commission.
They have finally concluded their investigations into ‘what might amount to the offence of “cheat” as set out in Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, relating to the Blue Square Premier fixture played on Sunday, 26th April 2009 between Grays Athletic and Forest Green.
The Commission having considered the information gathered concludes that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute an offence under the Act.
Responding to this disclosure, Rovers` vice-chairman Colin Peake said: “At long last after rightly keeping our counsel we can now speak out.
“This whole investigation, starting from how it was first made public to the media by betting companies and the innuendoes which followed, has in my opinion been totally mishandled, firstly by the Football Association and subsequently by the Gambling Commission.
“Both clubs and their players have been smeared for a whole year, with apparently no substance of fact behind some of the lurid tabloid headlines. It has been nothing less than a total disgrace.
“The Football Association needs to urgently address the whole subject of what constitutes such reports being made by betting companies when they believe they see irregular betting patterns emerging on football matches.
“For instance, in the case of this specific match, why was it that this was the only match referred for investigation when we learned that a number of other matches also had betting suspended that same weekend? Being cynical, could it just be that this match was the only one which actually was the subject of a ‘payout’? Also some of the odds being offered seem out of all proportion to the teams playing.
“Further we are amazed and disturbed to learn, that whilst the Football Association contacted us within days of the media headlines at no stage did the Football Association inform us that the matter had been handed over for investigation solely by the Gambling Commission.
“When we recently complained to the Football Association of not having been officially contacted in almost twelve months we were just referred to the Gambling Commission who in turn told us that the enquiry was still very active. Yet in less than seven days we get this letter.
“The FA through its Regulatory Authority needs to oversee such serious allegations in our national game more rigorously and attentively than was the case here.”
Forest Green will now writing to Lord Triesman seeking answers to certain questions and asking how these complaints can be handled better in future considering that no one in the club has ever been interviewed.
Peake concluded by stating: “We are pleased that the club has been exonerated but more importantly we are pleased for those players who played in the match.
“They have had to shoulder many snide and uncalled comments and so it is ironic therefore that tomorrow we visit Grays Athletic for this season’s fixture. If I were a betting man I wonder what odds you would have got on us being informed today of the outcome.”
