Sutton United goalkeeper resigns ‘in tears’ after being investigated for gambling for eating pie during a match

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Sutton United substitute goalkeeper Wayne Shaw resigned on Tuesday after he invited an investigation by the Football Association and Gambling Commission for eating a pie during a match.

On Monday, with ten minutes remaining during Sutton’s FA Cup match against Arsenal, Shaw was seen eating a pie on the sidelines.

Sutton had used all three of its substitutions, meaning Shaw could not enter the game. He decided to kick back and have some pie.

However, Sutton sponsor, Sun Bets, owned by newspaper The Sun, had 8-1 odds that Shaw would be shown on camera eating. Shaw admitted after the match he was aware of the bet, though there was no suggestion he was being paid by anyone.

With the FA and Gambling Commission launching an investigation into the incident, Shaw resigned from the club. He was also part of the coaching staff.

Sutton coach Paul Doswell told Sky News on Tuesday, “This decision was taken at board level. We felt we had to take very strong actions. The chairman spoke to him this afternoon and Wayne offered his resignation.”

He continued, “I’m devastated, the chairman is devastated. I have spoken to Wayne and the guy is in tears, crying down the phone. It is a very sad situation.”

Doswell added, “This showed the club in a bad light, and to find that it was done in connection with some 8-1 bet exacerbates the situation.”

Doswell said that the team does not think other players were aware of the scenario.

According to ESPN, the Gambling Commission was also launching an investigation to see if Sun Bets had violated a license agreement by placing such a bet.

Richard Watson, the enforcement and intelligence director of the Gambling Commission, said in a statement, “‘Integrity in sport is not a joke and we have opened an investigation to establish exactly what happened.”