Lincoln player Duffy fined after betting on games

Dylan Duffy has made four appearances for Lincoln City this season

Lincoln City footballer Dylan Duffy has been fined by the Football Association after admitting to the charge of multiple alleged breaches of anti-betting rules.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has been fined £4,000, of which half has been suspended for 12 months, having admitted to the charge at the first opportunity and also been fully co-operative throughout the investigation.

He was initially charged in July, having been alleged to have "placed, instructed, permitted, caused or enabled" bets on 30 matches between August 2023 and April 2024.

The financial penalty relates to a small number of bets placed over the course of a single season by Duffy's brother Daniel in Ireland on a Paddy Power betting account under Dylan's name.

Duffy claimed to have no knowledge of the various bets being placed by his brother, but did admit to having a separate account in Daniel's name with Boylesports.

The FA's written reasons highlighted that, during his interview, Duffy had stated that he thought he might have a gambling addiction.

He has been subsequently signposted to Sporting Chance, the UK-based charity set up by former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams to offer assistance to professional sportspeople for mental and emotional health problems.

Lincoln City said: "The club has supported Dylan throughout this process and will continue to do so privately".

Duffy joined Lincoln from League of Ireland side UC Dublin for an undisclosed fee during the January transfer window in 2023 - and has scored three goals in 43 league appearances for the Imps.

In October 2023, Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali was banned for 10 months for placing between 40 and 50 bets on games after joining the Magpies from AC Milan.

In May 2024, Reading head of football operations Mark Bowen was charged with placing 95 bets on matches, although unrelated to the club.