Daniel Sturridge is facing the possibility of a 'career-ending' ban from football after being charged by the FA over alleged breaches of its betting rules.
The Mail report that the charge related to a bet or bets placed in relation to Sturridge's move to West Brom on loan last season, although the suggestion is that the player himself did not place any bets.
There was a flurry of bets on Sturridge joining West Brom on loan back in January. Odds were slashed from 66/1 to 5/2 in a few hours. #LFC https://t.co/mADrDTfbmG
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) November 12, 2018
Rather, the alleged breach of rules is confined to the section concerning passing on "information relating to football which the participant has obtained by virtue of his or her position within the game and which is not publicly available at that time."
Sturridge has until 6pm on Tuesday 20th November to respond to the FA charge, and is expected to contest it.
The charge has come after an eight month investigation by the FA, which Liverpool have been aware of for 'a number of months', with the club free to continue to select the mercurial forward throughout the process.
A Liverpool spokesperson said: "Daniel has given his full and unequivocal cooperation throughout this process and has assured the club he will continue to do so. Daniel has stated categorically that he has never gambled on football. As with any issue of this nature, we will allow the process to be concluded in its entirety before making any further comment."
FA statement on Sturridge misconduct charge.#LFC pic.twitter.com/I8y1rige7n
— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) November 12, 2018
Sturridge's contract at Anfield ends next June, with talks over a renewal yet to begin – with the next few weeks likely to be crucial in determining whether the 29-year-old remains on Merseyside.
Source : 90min