Greg Clarke: 'FA considering relationship with gambling and alcohol firms'

A general view of the entrance of the Football Association's National Football Centre is pictured at St George's Park in Burton-Upon-Trent in central England, on October 9, 2012
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The Football Association is "considering" its relationship with gambling firms and alcohol companies, according to FA chairman Greg Clarke.

Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has revealed that the governing body is "considering" its relationship with gambling firms and alcohol companies.

The announcement of the review comes a week after Burnley midfielder Joey Barton was hit with an 18-month ban for breaking player betting rules.

The 34-year-old said on his website that if the FA was "truly serious about tackling the culture of gambling in football", it needed to look at its "own dependence on the gambling companies".

Clarke has announced that a decision will be made at the end of the season after the findings of an investigation into gambling practices in the sport are reviewed, while stressing that any outcome will not be linked to the Barton case.

He told The Times: "We are actively considering what our position will be and should be. I have thought about the relationship between betting and football, and alcohol and football, and I raised this at the start of the season when I took over as chairman.

"I asked for the management team to produce a report on what our position should be on a number of things, and gambling and alcohol were among those things. At the end of the season, when that paper is produced, the FA board will take a measured decision on what our position should be.

"Until I see that paper, I don't have a position but it is right we consider it and then make a positive decision on what we are going to do or not. This is not linked to the Joey Barton case at all, this goes back to the start of the season."

Of the 20 teams currently in the Premier League, 11 have betting companies' logos on their shirts, while the three English Football League divisions are sponsored by Sky Bet.

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