Cheikhou Kouyaté a defender for Nottingham Forest, was fined and given a five-month suspended penalty for breaking FA betting rules.
The 28-year-old was charged in July for offenses that occurred while he was on loan at Swindon Town, Rotherham United, and Scunthorpe United but had a contract with Norwich City.
After Kouyaté admitted to all 375 allegations, an FA panel on Wednesday punished him with a five-month ban that is suspended until the end of the 2024–25 season and a £20,956 ($26,165) fine.
According to an FA statement, Kouyaté of Nottingham Forest has been fined £20,956.22 and suspended for five months, effective until the conclusion of the 2024–2025 season, for breaking our betting regulations. After a hearing, an independent Regulatory Commission imposed the punishments after the defender acknowledged that he had violated FA Rule E1(b) 375 times between 22 January 2014 and 18 March 2017. The formal justifications provided by the Regulatory Commission for these rulings will eventually be made public.”
Players are expressly prohibited by Rule E1(b) from placing bets on any football game or from disclosing any information that could be used to do so. Kouyaté offenses are not yet fully understood; that is, until the FA publishes its formal justification.
Kouyaté, who hasn’t played in the Premier League this year, will be available for selection by Forest because the ban is suspended.
In recent months, Kouyaté case has become the second prominent disciplinary case involving betting violations. The first was Ivan Toney, the striker for Brentford and England, who admitted to 232 breaches and was fined £50,000 ($62,417) as well as eight months suspended.
Next week, Kouyaté is expected to resume training with his team after serving out the duration of his suspension that barred him from playing football.
