Football manager bets against own team, gets lengthy ban

A football manager has been hit with a lengthy ban after being found guilty of betting against his own teams.

Nick Bunyard, now in charge of Southern League Premier Division side Frome Town, is banned until July 2019 following a Football Association ruling announced on Wednesday.

Bunyard, who must also pay a fine of £3,000, was found to have backed the opponents of his side on 45 occasions, including while in charge of Paulton Rovers.

He placed a total of 97 bets between September 2014 and April this year. FA rules introduced two years ago implemented a blanket ban on football gambling for “all those involved in the game”.

Frome suspended Bunyard when they were notified of the FA’s investigation into their manager.