It seems chowing down on a pie on the sideline in the middle of a soccer match can make you the focus of an investigation regarding a gambling operation.
Wayne Shaw was caught on camera Monday plowing his way through a pie on the sideline in the final moments of his team’s loss to Arsenal in an FA Cup match. It was a viral hit, because the internet loves a big guy enjoying all the luxuries life has to offer.
But this seemingly innocent moment of indulgence is now being investigated as a possible gambling incentive. According to Pro Soccer Talk, the English FA and the Gambling Commission in the United Kingdom are investigating the pie-eating incident to determine if Shaw was paid an incentive to inhale a pie in the second half and if there are any betting patterns surrounding the moment. A bookmaker that had sponsored Shaw for the match reportedly put out odds of 8-1 that Shaw would eat a pie on the bench during the match.
The pie-digestion occurred after the team had maxed out its subs for the game, meaning he could not enter the game and was free to enjoy the final 10 minutes of the half on the sideline. And enjoy it he did.
But were there some wagers on whether or not Shaw would eat a pie on the sideline? It all seems to suggest Shaw had a hand in making or breaking the day for some gamblers, which in this case seems innocent enough overall compared to other violations we have seen. This would hardly be the worst gambling violation we have seen this week in the soccer world, but it is something that is being taken seriously by the UK’s gambling commission.
“Integrity in sport is not a joke and we have opened an investigation to establish exactly what happened,” Richard Watson from the Gambling Commission said. “We’ll be looking into any irregularity in the betting market and establishing whether the operator has met its license requirement to conduct its business with integrity.”
Maybe if Shaw used a napkin, there would have been more integrity.
Later on Tuesday, Shaw resigned from the club.
Breaking: Sutton have accepted the resignation of goalkeeper Wayne Shaw after an FA investigation, says manager Paul Doswell. pic.twitter.com/qOjE7fKBZx
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 21, 2017
