December 08, 2011

Wilshere denies betting claim over wager placed on Arsenal's Greek tragedy

Jack Wilshere has denied betting on his own team - which is strictly prohibited by UEFA - during Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to Olympiakos.

The England midfielder, who is currently out of action with an ankle injury, could be in trouble with European football’s governing body after suggesting he had placed a bet on Emmanuel Frimpong to score the first goal in Tuesday night’s game.

Wilshere, 19, said Frimpong could be ‘worth a cheeky £10’ before posting ‘Frimmy nearly won me some money there!’ when the Ghanaian midfielder narrowly missed the target with the score at 0-0.

Olympiakos forward Rafik Djebbour eventually broke the deadlock in the Greek side’s 3-1 win, but Wilshere later insisted he had not put a wager on.
The Arsenal star said before the match: ‘Champions league tonight come on the Arsenal! @Frimpong26AFC 1st goal is 150-1... worth a cheeky £10 right?’

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny replied to Wilshere saying that a bet would be a waste of money, and Frimpong responded: ‘Cheers Guys U can put a tenner on a tackle? whats the odds:)’
UEFA is now looking into Wilshere’s tweets. The midfielder could face a fine or even a ban if found guilty of breaching the rules.

A spokesman said: ‘All persons bound by UEFA’s rules must refrain from any behaviour that could damage the integrity of matches and competitions.

‘A breach of these principles is committed by anyone who participates directly or indirectly in betting or who has a financial interest in such activities.’

Wilshere moved to defend himself after the game, insisting he had been joking. He said: ‘I didn’t actually bet on the game. I know we’re not allowed to! I was only messing #justtobeclear’
The tweets have since been deleted from Wilshere’s account.

No comments:

Post a Comment