Huddersfield Town striker handed four-month football ban for breaching betting rules

Huddersfield Town forward Kian Harratt has been handed a four-month ban from football after admitting he breached the Football Association’s (FA) betting rules.

The 21-year-old was also fined £3,200 after placing 484 bets on football matches over a three-year period – from 30 June 2020 to 3 June 2023.

Harratt was 18 when he placed his first bet and 20 when he placed his final bet, according to the FA following an investigation.

Starting during the Covid-19 pandemic, Harratt placed bets on horseracing and then football once it resumed. Those bets were placed on an account under his name.

Harratt’s betting activity was initially identified by an operator, whose name was redacted by the FA, as a potential breach of the FA’s rules.

The unnamed operator shared Harratt’s account activity with the FA, with the governing body proceeding to contact all UK-licensed operators and asking them to share accounts in the name of Harratt.

That investigation led to the FA discovering seven further betting accounts that Harratt held with an undisclosed number of operators.

English football’s governing body confirmed the striker placed the bets over four seasons, with a total outlay of £8,105.01 and returns of £4,448.25. He lost £3,656.76.

Of the total bets, the investigation found 183 were placed on games in competitions involving clubs Harratt had played for during the period featured in, including Huddersfield, Port Vale, Bradford City and Guiseley. There were also bets made against Huddersfield.

As detailed in the FA’s statement, Harratt placed 28 bets on his own team to win, although for the vast majority of those he was not involved in the matchday squad.

Of the nine bets placed on Huddersfield to lose, the FA noted the striker was once again not in the matchday squad and the stakes were “small”.

The FA also found that Harratt placed bets after attending education courses and being aware of the betting rules.

The body said in its written statement: “There are a number of aggravating factors present in this case, including that KH [Harratt] has confirmed that he was aware of the betting rules and therefore knowingly breached the rules when placing the bets.

“He attended an FA education course on 18 July 2022 whilst on loan with Bradford City FC in which the rules were covered. Notwithstanding that club visit, KH went onto place a further 54 bets some six-and-a-half months later.

“The FA also submit that there are a number of mitigating factors including that KH admitted to all charges and at the time of placing the bets, relatively inexperienced. However, the FA state that he was still aware of the betting rules when he placed the relevant bets. The FA state that the fact that KH made an overall loss across all the bets he placed is a further mitigating factor.”

In Harratt’s witness statement, he admitted gambling and football were closely linked due to the level of sponsorships in the game and that the bets were placed in an attempt to replicate the buzz he got playing football.

He said: “I can now see that the number of bets that I placed directly corresponds with the amount of time that I spent on the pitch. I found myself continually trying to replicate the feeling of playing regular first team football and when such opportunities were not forthcoming, my gambling activity increased in order to get an adrenaline rush or the same ‘buzz’ I got from playing.

“Of the 44 bets of this nature that I placed, 36 involved Huddersfield. I was not in the matchday squad for any of the fixtures involving Huddersfield that I bet on, as I was either on loan or training with the reserves at that time. As I explained earlier in this statement, when I was training with the reserves, I would have had minimal contact with the first team squad or coaching staff (if at all).

“Nine of the 36 bets involving Huddersfield included selections for Huddersfield to lose. While, as explained above, I was not in the squad for these fixtures, I accept that these are perhaps the most serious of the bets on football that I have placed. As is demonstrated by the spontaneous nature of the bets that I placed, I did not plan or give much thought to the teams that I included.

“Looking back, I find it difficult to explain how or why I would have selected certain teams or fixtures to bet on. In particular, I am unable to explain why I would have placed bets against my own team, when it is clear to me now that this is something that footballers should not do.”

The former Premier League club, currently in the Championship, released a statement saying they will support him throughout his ban.

Harratt becomes the latest player to be suspended from football after betting on matches.

Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali is currently serving a 10-month ban for placing bets while with AC Milan while Brentford’s Ivan Toney returned in January after serving an eight-month ban for doing the same.