FA clears Norwich, Derby over betting scam
Norwich City and Derby County cleared of wrongdoing over reports of unusual betting patterns in Asia
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Friday, 05, Dec 2008 10:35
Norwich City and Derby County have been cleared of any wrongdoing over reports of unusual betting patterns.
On Friday the Football Association closed its enquiry into claims of irregular betting patterns in Asia during the course of Derby's 2-1 defeat of their Championship rivals at Carrow Road.
An FA said there was "no evidence" to suggest irregularities around the progress of result of the game, which took place in October.
"The FA received assistance from the Gambling Commission and individual UK bookmakers, who confirmed that no suspicious activity took place on their markets around the match at Carrow Road," the statement said.
"We also received full cooperation from both clubs, both of whom reported that they had no concerns about the match.
"The FA has made it clear that if fresh information comes to light which gives rise to concerns then the enquiry may be reopened."
Norwich chief executive Neil Doncaster said he was "delighted" at the announcement.
"The good name of Norwich City has been upheld and our reputation remains entirely unblemished," he told the club's official website.
A spokesman for Derby County told the Derby Evening Telegraph: "From our point of view there is absolutely no surprise regarding this announcement.
"Both ourselves and Norwich City have been consistent throughout this and have made it clear that the allegations were nonsense.
"But we also feel slightly irritated by the storm that was whipped up by the claims. It has been unfortunate that both the clubs and the players involved on the day have had to deal with this."