Paul Scholes fined for breaching betting rules

Paul Scholes

London: Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has been fined £8,000 by England's Football Association after accepting a charge of breaching betting rules. Scholes was charged by the FA in April for placing 140 bets on matches between August 2015 and January this year. The period covers when Scholes was a part-owner of non-league side Salford City, but before his appointment as Oldham manager in February 2019.

"I accept last week's ruling. I would like to apologise and I understand and fully accept the fine imposed by the FA," the ex-England international said in a statement. "It was a genuine mistake and was not done with any deliberate intention to flout the rules.

"I wrongly believed that as long as there was no personal connection between me and any of the matches that I bet upon then there would be no issue." Scholes had quit as a Salford director - albeit retaining his 10 per cent shareholding - before taking his first managerial role with League Two Oldham in February. However, he lasted just 31 days before walking out claiming he had been misled by the club's owners.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates