A FOOTBALL club manager has been suspended after betting against his own team – 130 times.
Swansea City player liaison officer Huw Lake placed 2,476 bets on matches between 2018 and 2023.
He has now been banned from working in football for 12 months and fined £1,500.
The 61-year-old officer gambled almost £92,000 but lost more than he won, racking up losses of £7,437 in five years.
Lake has been in personal contact with the best players for 20 years at the Welsh club, including in the Premier League.
He was an apprentice during the Swans’ first taste of top flight glory, making his debut in the final game of the old First Division and playing a total of 23 times under manager John Toshack before being released.
He admitted illegal bets – including 130 for the Swansea defeat – and an independent Regulatory Commission initially banned him for three months, with a further nine to be served at the end of the 2024/25 season.
But the FA appealed, saying the punishment was too lenient.
It argued that Lake was a respected individual in a position of influence and that his actions could have put players and staff at risk.
An Appeals Board agreed and imposed an immediate 12-month ban.
Lake has worked at Swansea since 2004 and became player liaison officer in 2007.
The club said it will continue to support Lake.
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