Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez Facing Scrutiny Over Gambling Promotions in Argentina

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez is facing scrutiny over promoting the gambling company bplay in his native Argentina. Under FA rules, Premier League players are forbidden from placing bets on soccer or promoting any gambling on the sport.

Martinez appears in a bplay ad alongside his brother Alejandro, who is a professional racing driver. The ad was released four months ago, but the World Cup-winning goalkeeper has not yet faced any sanction by the FA.

FA rules state that “an individual participant, when acting in a personal capacity, shall not be permitted to advertise or promote any betting activity that the Participant is prohibited from engaging in.”

Soccer players in England are prohibited from gambling on any match in any league in the world. Notable players to fall foul of these rules include Sandro Tonali, currently playing for Newcastle United, and former Brentford FC player Ivan Toney. The players were banned for 10 and eight months, respectively. Last year, a lower-league player was also banned for five months for betting on the sport.

The betting company bplay offers gambling on a wide range of soccer matches, including games involving Aston Villa and Argentina. With Martinez banned from betting on these matches, he is also banned from promoting companies that offer the markets.

Previously, former Premier League player Yerry Mina was fined £10,000 ($13,000) after appearing in an ad for betting company Betjuego in his native Colombia.

Martinez Wears Shirt With Betting Sponsor

The FA told The Athletic that it is aware of the issue and that Martinez will face a similar penalty to Mina, who played for Everton FC when promoting Betjuego.

Ironically, both Everton and Aston Villa display gambling companies on the front of their shirts. Betano has appeared on the front of Martinez’s shirt since the start of last season, reportedly paying Aston Villa £20 million per year.

Meanwhile, in 2019, when Mina was sanctioned, Everton were sponsored by SportPesa, a Kenyan betting company that has never held a UK betting license.

Now, the club is sponsored by Stake, which is also unlicensed in the UK since a regulatory review of the company’s practices last year.

Premier League Tightening Rules on Betting Sponsors

The Premier League has agreed not to feature gambling companies on the front of shirts starting next season. This is expected to have major financial implications, with 11 of the 20 clubs currently displaying gambling companies on their jerseys.

Clubs can continue to promote betting on the sleeves of shirts, in stadiums, online, and elsewhere. However, the UK government recently announced plans to block clubs from signing agreements with gambling companies that are not licensed in the country.

When announcing the new measure, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said, “When placing a bet on the big match, fans deserve to know the sites they’re using are properly regulated, with the right protections in place.”

“It’s not right that unlicensed gambling operators can sponsor some of our biggest football clubs, raising their profile and potentially drawing fans towards sites that don’t meet our regulatory standards.”

Bplay is not licensed in the UK. The company, Aston Villa, and Martinez have not commented on the promotions.