Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has been charged with 'misconduct' in relation to the FA's betting rules, for an unspecified incident in January 2018.
In an official statement, the FA announced that the 29-year-old forward, who has been enjoying something of a revival in his Reds career of late, has until November 20 to respond to the charges, but didn't specify details of the incident.
The England striker is alleged to have breached two regulations - one of which relates to the betting, either directly or otherwise, on the 'result, progress or occurrence' of any football match anywhere in the world.
The other relates to providing outside parties with information obtained 'by virtue of his position,' though it is too early at this stage to speculate on the exact nature of the offence.
Sturridge has refuted the claims however, with a statement issued by a Liverpool club spokesman insisting "that he has never gambled on football." The Liverpool Echo report that he will give his "full and unequivocal co-operation" to the investigation, which if found guilty, could lead to Sturridge facing a substantial fine or suspension from the game.
“As with any issue of this nature, we will allow the process to be concluded in its entirety before making any further comment.” #LFC (2/2)
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) November 12, 2018
The timescale in question places Sturridge at West Brom, in the early days of an ill-fated loan spell where he only featured sporadically due to continuous injury niggles.
Since then, his fortunes have turned around somewhat. While first-team football has been hard to come by, he has featured as an option from the bench for Liverpool on a number of occasions, scoring important goals against PSG and Chelsea in the Champions League and Premier League respectively.
While it's not yet clear what punishment, if any, is on the table for the former England striker, it will come as worrying news for the Reds as they pursue Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Source : 90min