Leicesterford City to investigate claims players bet against their own club

Leicesterford City’s leadership says allegations that disgruntled players placed bets against the club must be investigated after the PSL outfit suffered a third successive defeat in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.

The latest loss was a 3-0 defeat by Lerumo Lions at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday. Sources close to the situation claim that some players, unhappy with their limited playing time, have allegedly pooled thousands of rands to bet against Leicesterford City.

The claims have not been verified. KickOff contacted the club after the allegations emerged, with City’s Highest Representative, Tswaledi Kgaphola, confirming that he was aware of the rumours and would seek to establish the facts.

Kgaphola said he intended to check the situation at the club’s offices. There have also been reports that internal hearings are already under way, although he said no formal process had taken place since the team’s match on Saturday.

“As we speak, I’m going to verify at the office. I heard the rumour as well. We just played on Saturday, and since then we have not had any hearing or processes,” Kgaphola told KickOff.

He added that Leicesterford City players are reminded at the start of every season that betting is prohibited. Should any player be found to have breached the rules, Kgaphola said, that person would have acted in full knowledge of the club’s regulations.

“The players are aware what to do, what not to do. Every season they get reminded that they are not supposed to bet. So, if indeed they’ve done it, they did it knowingly that they should not do it.”

Club warns against unverified claims

Kgaphola said the club could not dismiss the allegations, but stressed that an investigation had to be completed before any conclusions were reached. He also warned that acting on unsubstantiated accusations could damage relations inside the squad.

“We cannot ignore those rumours, we have to do investigations. What if it’s not true? We end up fighting among ourselves, causing divisions in the team. But definitely, we have to check who is involved and who is not and take it from there.”

The allegations have emerged amid separate reports of financial difficulties at Leicesterford City. In July, it was reported that the club’s players had gone at least two months without receiving their salaries.

However, there is currently no established link between the reported delays in salary payments and the alleged betting activity.