A Lincoln City player has been fined over breaches of The Football Association’s (FA) betting rules.
Dylan Duffy, now aged 21, has been fined £4,000 by the Regulatory Commission. £2,000 of the fine is suspended for 12 months.
A statement from the FA read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has fined and warned Lincoln City’s Dylan Duffy for breaches of The FA’s betting rules.”
What Has Dylan Duffy Been Sanctioned For?
The Lincoln City wing-back was charged in July over 30 bets that were placed between August 18, 2023, and April 23, 2024.
Duffy, a Republic of Ireland under-21s international admitted to the charges, stating that the Paddy Power account in his name was used by his younger brother, Daniel. He opened the account because Daniel was under the age of 18, so could not legally do so himself.
The fine has been given because of bets made by Dylan Duffy’s younger brother, while the footballer claimed to have no knowledge of the bets that had been placed.
The FA split the misconducts into two part, and stated: “Misconduct A: Dylan Duffy [referred to as “DD”] allowed his brother, Danny, to open and use a Paddy Power betting account at aged 17 using his personal information and identification in order to circumvent the minimum legal age requirements for gambling. Danny Duffy placed 8 bets on football through this account. In this way, DD permitted, caused or enabled 8 bets to be placed on football matches at a time when he was prohibited from doing so.
“Misconduct B: DD instructed his brother Danny to place 22 football bets through Danny’s own account. DD did so with the awareness that football players were not permitted to place bets on matches they were involved in.”
What is the Impact on Lincoln City?
Principally, Lincoln City are unaffected. Dylan Duffy has not been banned for any length of time, so can continue playing for the SkyBet League One side.
Duffy has not featured since he was an unused substitute on Saturday, August 31. He has played two league matches so far this term, alongside a substitute appearance in an Carabao Cup defeat to Harrogate Town.
The full FA report can be found here.