High time we allowed players to have a punt

Players should be allowed to bet on matches which don’t involve clubs from their ownb division.

Ian Black left the SFA with no option but to take action against him.

The Association duly hit the Rangers midfielder with a 10-match ban, seven of them suspended, and a £7,500 fine.

But this situation also proves the rules have to be looked at again and it is as good a time as any to change them.

If a player is betting on a game he is involved in, then it certainly isn’t acceptable and I’m sure most players are more than aware of that.

As things stand, every footballer playing in the professional leagues in Scotland isn’t allowed to bet on any football game anywhere in the world.

It is a breach of the rules to even bet on matches taking place in a different country.

That, in my opinion, is what needs looked at.

In England, the players are allowed to bet on matches which take place in other countries but there is no such leeway north of the border. You can’t tell me someone playing in Scotland is going to have inside information on a match, for example, between the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

So why not allow the players to have a bet on the game the same way as a lot of football fans up and down the country do?

I think it would make sense to rewrite the rulebook on this subject and allow the players to bet on matches which don’t involve clubs from their own division. That means someone playing in League One in Scotland can bet on SPFL clubs and vice-versa.

I really don’t see the harm in that. And I most certainly don’t see anything wrong with any player in Scotland betting on matches taking place in England or abroad.

On the subject of Black, I need to say I have a degree of sympathy for the player. Is he the only footballer in the country with a betting account or who has placed bets on matches? I would be amazed if that was the case.

I’d imagine it is rife within Scottish football. Enjoying a punt is part of the culture of most footballers anywhere. As far as I’m concerned, most of the players will put a coupon on most Saturdays.

Also, why has it taken until now for his betting to come to light? Why has it happened during his time at Rangers rather than Hearts or Inverness Caley Thistle? That’s what the people connected with Rangers will be asking.

But he had to be punished, that’s for sure. The SFA had to show that breaking the rules just isn’t acceptable and he will now sit out three matches.

I don’t imagine Black will be placing any bets in the future.