MARK BOWEN, the Reading chief, has been hit with an FA charge for placing 95 bets on matches.
Bowen, the Royals' head of football operations, is alleged to have placed the bets over a near two year spell to January of this year.
None of the wagers were on games involving the League One side - who finished 17th in their first season after relegation.
The 60-year-old, who played for Manchester City and West ham as well as working alongside Mark Hughes as a coach, has until Friday to respond to the allegations.
Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali have both been hit with bans in the past year for breaching rules on betting - meaning Bowen could end up with a ban if found guilty.
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In a statement the FA said: "Reading's Head of Football Operations has been charged with misconduct in relation to breaches of The FA's Betting Rules.
"Mark Bowen allegedly placed 95 bets on football matches, which were unrelated to Reading, between 19 April 2022 and 14 January 2024."
Bowen's charge is the latest in a string of disasters for the Berkshire club, who have been deducted a staggering 18 points under the ownership of Dai Yongge for a failure to pay staff and HMRC.
Meanwhile, Lucas Paqueta - also recently charged for a breach of betting rules around spot-fixing, has kept his place in the Brazil squad for the Copa America.
The West Ham star has been accused of getting booked intentionally on four separate occasions and could end up with a ten-year ban if found guilty.
West Ham are standing by Paqueta and the Brazilian Federation have confirmed that he will still feature at the Copa America in the United States this summer.
In a statement the CBF said: "Given the facts reported by the English Federation, the CBF, supported by the joint opinion from the Legal and Governance and Compliance Directorates and the Integrity Unit, has decided to maintain the player's call-up.
"Based on the information provided by the FA, it is categorically concluded that the player Lucas Paqueta, despite the behaviour for which he was accused authorising preventive removal (from the squad).
"He has not been penalised to date by the prosecuting body authorised to sanction him.
"It is right to say that the player is free to perform his professional job until the present moment, the source of his livelihood and that of his family, in a full and unrestricted manner, whether for his club or his country's national team."
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