FA suspends Swansea City liaison officer for betting misconduct

Swansea City‘s player liaison officer has been suspended from all football-related activities and fined due to misconduct related to betting violations.

The Football Association (FA) announcement follows a review by an Independent Regulatory Commission, in which Huw Lake has been handed a 12-month ban from all football and football-related activities. 

Three months of the ban are to be served immediately, with the remainder suspended until the conclusion of the 2024/25 season. In addition to the ban, Lake has been fined £1,500.

The FA alleged that Lake had placed 2,476 bets on football matches between 3 April 2018, to 24 September 2023, subsequently admitting to the charge.

After the Independent Regulatory Commission issued its ruling, the FA appealed against the decision, citing that the Commission’s ruling was beyond what a reasonable body could have determined, arguing that the penalty imposed was unreasonably lenient.

Acknowledging this argument, an Independent Appeal Board concluded that the decision to suspend nine months of the suspension was unreasonable and/or unreasonably lenient. As a result, it substituted a 12-month suspension to be served in full, starting from 25 March 2024.

In the FA’s evidence, Lake denied using insider knowledge from his role at Swansea to place bets. However, he admitted to betting on Swansea to lose, but couldn’t recall why. 

Despite his initial comment, Lake stated he couldn’t remember placing specific bets and believes he might have had prior knowledge of team line-ups due to frequent visits to the training ground.

Alan Curtis, former Swansea footballer and current honorary Club President of the club, also gave evidence. Curtis said he has known Lake since he was 16, speaking of him as a “vital link between the players and coaching staff and the club”. 

Meanwhile, the FA charged West Ham United player Lucas Paquetá last week with misconduct in relation to alleged betting breaches of FA Rules E5 and F3, which could result in a 10-year ban from the sport.