Disgraced ex yellows chair fined by FA for gambling spree

Ex Southport chairman Phil Hodgkinson has admitted a misconduct charge for betting on matches and been fined £1,500 by the Football Association.

The case relates to 99 bets he placed on games between September 2015 and February 2019, during which time he was a football agent and a director of non-league club Southport.

The matter could have derailed his Huddersfield purchase, as ‘participants’ in the game are prevented from betting on football, but the matter has effectively been closed and Hodgkinson’s takeover should be approved at the English Football League’s annual general meeting in Portugal later this week.