Manchester City defender Demichelis charged with betting offences

Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis has been charged for “misconduct relating to betting” by the Football Association (FA) over alleged breaches that took place in January.

The FA has charged the Argentina international over 12 alleged violations of “rule E8 concerning football matches”, all of which date between January 22 and January 28 this year.

Demichelis has until April 5 to answer the charge.

The 35-year-old has played in 29 games in all competitions for City this season and was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes during Argentina’s win over Bolivia on Tuesday.

The ruling bans players from betting “either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause or enable any person to bet on any result, progress or conduct of a match or competition in which they participate or have participated in during a season, or in which they have any influence”.

Manchester City’s Martin Demichelis has been charged for misconduct in relation to betting https://t.co/zjaS1bOUqm pic.twitter.com/yejxJO20YJ

— The FA (@FA) March 30, 2016

Andros Townsend was suspended for four months – three of those suspended – and fined £18,000 for breaching betting regulations in 2013. That was the same year Cameron Jerome was penalised £50,000, while Dan Gosling received a £30,000 fine in 2014.