Swansea City referee suspended and fined after 130 bets against his own team

A football club official was suspended after betting against his own team 130 times.

Huw Lake, Swansea City’s player liaison officer, placed 2,476 bets on matches between 2018 and 2023.

He has now been banned from playing football for 12 months and fined £1,500.

The 61-year-old civil servant wagered nearly £92,000 but lost more than he won, totalling £7,437 in losses over five years.

Lake has maintained personal contact with the Welsh club’s top players for 20 years, including during his time in the Premier League.

He was an apprentice when the Swans first tasted top-flight success, making his debut in the last game of the old First Division and playing 23 times under manager John Toshack before being sacked.

He admitted the illegal bets – including 130 on a Swansea defeat – and was subsequently banned by an independent regulatory commission for an initial three-month period, with a further nine months to be served at the end of the 2024/25 season.

However, the English Football Association (FA) appealed, saying the punishment was too lenient.

The reasoning was that Lake was a respected figure in a position of influence and that his actions could have endangered players and staff.

An appeals committee agreed and imposed an immediate 12-month ban.

Lake has been employed by Swansea since 2004 and was appointed Player Liaison Officer in 2007.

The club said it would continue to support Lake.