Wahbi Khazri and Ludovic Blas among 30 players and coaches hit with betting sanctions

The French League governing body’s disciplinary committee recently unveiled a list of players and coaches from professional clubs sanctioned for breaching the ban on sports betting. This ban is laid down in the French Sports Code and the regulations of the French Football Federation (FFF) and the LFP. This was reported by L’Équipe this afternoon.

Of the thirty people affected by the sanctions, Wahbi Khazri and Ludovic Blas received the highest financial penalties. Montpellier striker Khazri was fined €3,000, while Nantes attacking midfielder Blas was fined €2,000. Another FC Nantes player, substitute goalkeeper Rémy Descamps, received a one-match suspension (suspended) and two suspended matches, as well as a €1,000 fine (suspended).

Jean-Charles Castelletto, also from Nantes, received a formal warning, as did Layvin Kurzawa, currently under contract with PSG. Christopher Rocchia, a former Marseille player currently playing for Dijon in Ligue 2, was fined €1,500 and suspended for one match.

These offences were identified through a cross-check of files, carried out with the collaboration of the National Online Gaming Authority (ANJ) and the French National Lottery (FDJ). The Commission took the opportunity to stress that “professional football players are formally prohibited from betting on football competitions, whether national or international”. These sanctions will come into force at midnight on Tuesday 27 June.

GFFN | George Boxall