The FA has banned a former analyst at Manchester City for 12 months after he placed hundreds of bets and allegedly used inside information for some of these wagers. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Facing the consequences

The English Football Association (FA) has banned a former Manchester City performance analyst from the sport for 12 months and fined him £4,500 ($5,738) after discovering he placed hundreds of bets while working for teams.

Richard Bredice confessed to placing 456 wagers relating to games and transfers during his spells at Burnley and Manchester City.

£2,162 ($2,757) of the gain coming from wagers involving his team

He earned a £2,350 ($2,997) profit from stakes totaling £11,285 ($14,391), with £2,162 ($2,757) of the gain coming from wagers involving his team. He wasn’t just backing the sides to win either, Bredice made money betting against Manchester City on numerous occasions.

Some serious allegations

The FA also claimed that Bredice used insider information in a dozen bets relating to transfers of players, with 11 of these wagers winning. He contests this claim, saying that he was not privy to transfer dealings as he was a “very junior member of the analyst team” at the time and that the club was very “regimented” at keeping information confidential.

Employees at soccer clubs in England are not allowed to place wagers on games. Bredice said he never received training on the FA’s betting rules until he joined Burnley.

While the Independent Regulatory Commission emphasized the damage that the analyst did to the integrity of the sport, it also acknowledged that the stakes were relatively low and Bredice fully cooperated with the probe. He will have to serve the first six months of his sentence immediately, with the remainder suspended until the 2025/2026 season finishes.

What happens next?

Bredice worked as a performance analyst at Manchester City from 2013 until 2019 before joining Anderlecht when former City captain Vincent Kompany took over as manager. He returned to English soccer in 2022 when Burnley appointed Kompany. His time in Belgium is outside the jurisdiction of the FA so it did not investigate any activity during his spell at Anderlecht.

It is unclear what Bredice’s next step will be. He no longer appears on Burnley FC’s website as the lead performance analyst and set-piece coach. Kompany, who provided a letter of support in the case, has also moved to German giant Bayern Munich.

the team would likely terminate the employee’s contract

Burnley FC Club Secretary and Chief Operating Officer Matthew Williams said in a letter to the commission that the team would likely terminate the employee’s contract if “a period of suspension is imposed for any significant period of time.”