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DEAN Brett will attend a disciplinary hearing at Cowdenbeath on Tuesday night as he faces up to the consequences of allegedly breaking SFA rules by betting on almost 6,500 football matches.
The Blue Brazil stalwart has confessed publicly to gambling on football and to betting against his own club and is under investigation by Hampden officials.
SFA disciplinary rules prohibit players, coaches, club officials and referees in Scotland from betting on football anywhere in the world.
A Gambling Commission report has uncovered 2,787 bets apparently placed by Brett since season 2011-12 involving 6,369 matches.
The figures cite 65 bets on Cowdenbeath matches, including eight games when it is claimed he placed money on the Fife club to lose – and five of those when he was in action for the team.
The 24-year-old is likely to be hit with a lengthy suspension from playing but his first action will be to defend himself in a meeting with Cowdenbeath chiefs.
Brett, who suffered heartbreak when his partner Gemma Porteous died of cancer in January 2015, just four months after prematurely-born daughter Mollie passed away, will be supported by team-mate Kenny Adamson at the meeting.
He told @CCP_sport: “It’s a problem I’ve had since I was younger and it got to the stage where I didn’t care what I was doing.
“I’ve closed all my betting accounts now and I’ve admitted to the club I’ve got a gambling problem.
“I’ll just have to wait and see what the outcome is but hopefully Cowdenbeath will stick by me.”
The issue came to light after the versatile midfielder was investigated by the SFA for making allegedly homophobic comments on social media.
SACKED
He was offered a four-match ban for that offence but, with that still to be resolved, is now facing up to the prospect of even stiffer sanctions and even the possibility of being sacked by Cowdenbeath.
Brett, who has played nearly 200 games for the Blue Brazil and featured 23 times this season, is currently suspended on full pay pending the hearing.
A club statement said: “Recently, Dean Brett was the subject of a complaint to the SFA regarding comments made on his Twitter account. Following a hearing a suspension is now to be imposed on him.
“On investigating that complaint, it became obvious to the SFA from his Twitter comments that Dean was also betting on football matches, which as a professional footballer in Scotland is not permitted at all.
“The SFA then advised they would likely take further action once they had sourced a report from the Gambling Commission.
“Subsequently, the SFA have confirmed that Dean will be subject to another action as he will be charged with betting on football.
“The Gambling Commission report confirms betting activity since season 2011-12. This involves some 2,787 bets covering 6,369 matches.
“Most concerning of all these figures include 65 bets on matches in which Cowdenbeath FC were involved and, crucially, that on eight occasions bets were placed on Cowdenbeath to lose a match – five of the bets involved matches in which Dean was playing.
“Once this information was to hand, the manager and chairman met with Dean last Thursday and Dean was suspended on full pay pending a club disciplinary hearing this week as per the club’s disciplinary code of practice.”
