Andros Townsend: Spurs midfielder fined over betting

Andros Townsend

Tottenham midfielder Andros Townsend has been fined £18,000 by the Football Association for breaching betting regulations.

The 21-year-old was also suspended for four months backdated to 23 May although three of those months have been suspended until 1 July 2016.

Townsend had already voluntarily withdrawn from the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship.

It is believed he was not accused of betting on games he had involvement in.

However, the FA has strict betting rules that forbid gambling on a wide spectrum of fixtures laid out in its regulations.

The length of the up-front ban, coupled with the fact that he withdrew from the England Under-21 squad, mean he will not miss a game.

The midfielder, who was on loan at QPR for the second half of the season, is a product of Tottenham's academy and signed as a trainee in 2008.

He has had loan spells at Yeovil, Leyton Orient, MK Dons, Ipswich, Watford, Millwall, Leeds, Birmingham and, most recently, with former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp at QPR.

Townsend made his Premier League debut for Spurs in September 2012 before joining Rangers in January, where he made 12 Premier League appearances, scoring twice.