Trist sak.
Jeg hadde håp om at Jordan Stevens skule utvikle seg til en bedre seniorspiller enn Jack Clarke, mer direkte, bedre innlegg... Men det viser seg at 17-åringen har strevd utenfor banen (ikke ulikt det Speed beskriver om hans første tid i Leeds). Jeg har vanskelig for å tro at han vil klare å komme tilbake, spesielt så langt unna hjemtraktene..
Daniel Chapman oppsmmerer saken:
After the joyous tales of Kalvin Phillips achievements yesterday, the FA decided too much joy is a bad thing in Leeds, and announced their punishment for 19 year old Jordan Stevens' betting offences.
First, the offences themselves: he placed 59 bets between August 6th 2018 and May 27th 2019, most of them after he attended a seminar in October on the betting rules governing footballers, which hasn't gone down well with the panel hearing his case, which included former Blackburn winger Stuart Ripley and ex Fulham midfielder Udo Onwere.
23 of his bets were in competitions involving Leeds last season, five bets on games involving Leeds that he didn't play in (he was backing us to win or both teams to score twice), and the total he gambled was £510.12.
His mitigation was that, after moving from Forest Green Rovers aged 17, he'd been lonely and struggling to settle and integrate in Leeds, and gave in to peer pressure and bad advice.
The FA's decision is a £1,200 fine, which is probably fair enough, and a six-week ban from all footballing activities, which is... didn't those bastards read what he says got him into this?!
Leeds United aren't impressed:
'As a club we feel that banning a 19-year-old footballer from even participating in training or interacting with the club’s staff is an excessive punishment.
Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear commented: “Whilst we fully recognise the importance of the FA's role in protecting the integrity of the game, we are hugely disappointed in the FA's choice of sanction.
“To prevent a young footballer from taking part in any football activities at such critical period of his career is a disproportionate punishment following a foolish mistake from a young player.
“We are particularly disappointed that the sanction was determined by two former professional footballers who we hoped would have had a better understanding of the impact of their decision.â€'
Graham Smyth sums it up well in the YEP:
An independent regulatory commission considering an FA charge of a betting rule breach by the teenager heard that he was bored. He was anxious. He was homesick. He was finding it hard to fit in. He then, I think we can all agree, made a silly decision.
They heard all of that and decided the solution to his problem was more boredom and, presumably, more anxiety.
...
He has also been banned from training. He has been banned from interacting with club staff. Sorry to hear about the loneliness that undoubtedly played a part in your poor decision making, have six weeks away from your employers, mentors and team-mates to think about.
...
Why not stipulate that Stevens must spend six weeks under the wing of Alan Scorfield at the Leeds United Foundation, giving his time and effort to help the people of a city where the rate of problem gambling is twice the national average? Why not have him raising awareness of Leeds' new NHS Northern Gambling Clinic? Why not send him on an educational course? Why not book him a series of appointments with current or former professionals recovering from gambling addiction? Why not open his eyes instead of shutting him away from the footballing world?
Graham is asking the right questions; of course, the FA won't answer.