Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend has been banned from football for four months for violating betting rules.
The sanction, which made no mention of match-fixing, was announced by the Football Association, the governing body of the sport in England, which said three months of the ban have been suspended until July 2016. The penalty was backdated to 23rd May, when Townsend withdrew from the England under-21 squad. The winger also was fined £18,000.
According to an Associated Press report, Mr Townsend was charged with breaches “in relation to a number of betting offenses,” which could be a reference to the association’s prohibition on players betting on matches in competitions they are involved in or have any influence over.
Townsend spent the second half of last season on loan to another London club, Queens Park Rangers, which was relegated from the Premier League to the second-tier Championship division.