Left to right: Barton, Shaw and Demichelis have all been fined for illegal gambling activities

When the ban on betting on all worldwide footballing activity was introduced for players in England’s top eight divisions in July 2014, it did little to change the habits of many professionals.

As one experienced Football League player candidly explains: “I got my wife to open an account, I ask her to top it up, and I give her the money.” Hundreds of footballers, from the Premier League to non-League, do the same.

Long before Joey Barton was given an 18-month ban (reduced to 13 on appeal) last April for 1,260 football bets over a ten-year period, the risks of betting on football were evident. At the beginning of every season the FA visits all 92 League clubs to outline regulations for the campaign ahead.