UEFA fined Zlatan Ibrahimović €50,000 (£43,175) after an investigation found he had a financial interest in a betting operator. His club AC Milan was also warned and fined for violating the same article of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations.
Violation of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations
The Swedish forward has been fined €50,000 (£43,175) for breaking the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) rules by having a financial interest in a betting company.
This announcement followed an investigation launched last month over his alleged financial stakes, a 10 per cent stake, in the Malta-based online betting company Bethard Group.
The Appeals Body of UEFA has examined the investigation report and found him to be in violation of Article 12(2)(b) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, which prohibits financial investment in a betting company.
AC Milan was also warned and fined €25,000 (£21,600) for violating the same article of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations.
The sanction
Both UEFA and FIFA prohibit players to participate in any of their competitions if they have financial interests in companies that “promote, broker, arrange or conduct betting, gambling, lotteries or similar events or transactions connected with football matches and competitions”.
According to FIFA’s regulations and as reports suggested in some Swedish publications, Ibrahimović could have even faced a maximum sanction of a three-year ban from football. A sanction that could have ended his career. But the UEFA’s judgement was clement.
“The Chairman of the UEFA Appeals Body also issued Mr Ibrahimović with a directive aimed at ceasing the player’s association with the relevant betting company,” UEFA said in a statement.
The football superstar began working with Bethard in March 2018 in a developmental and ambassadorial position.
Let’s note that the striker recently signed a contract extension with Milan until the end of next season. As Zlatan himself said on his Twitter account “It’s not over until I say it’s over”.
