Everton defender Yerry Mina has been cited by the FA for a breach of their gambling rules, but the charge reeks of a ridiculous double standard.
The Colombia international recently appeared in an advert for a gambling company in his home country. This is in the breach of Football Association Rule E8 (3), which prohibits players from appearing in advertisements which encourage gambling.
The player has until Friday evening to respond to the charge, with his case being overseen by a three-person independent regulatory committee.
While this is a clear breach of the rules that are in place, the rule itself speaks of the hypocrisy of the FA.
We all accept that most of the gambling guidelines in place in football make sense, and it helps to maintain the integrity of the game. This is not one of those cases.
While the rule may state that Yerry Mina may not participate in adverts for a gambling company, he actually does this every time he lines out for Everton. Sportpesa, the company who have their name draped across the front of the Everton kit, is a betting company.
What's the difference?
In all, 10 current Premier League clubs have gambling companies as their official sponsors. This is something the FA do not seem to have a problem with.
Regardless of your opinion of the influence of the role of gambling in sport, it cannot be denied that this is a clear double standard.
If the FA are to limit the influence of gambling companies, should teams be held to the same standards that are expected of footballers? It is clearly a case of one rule for one group, and another for others.
Mina can certainly feel hard done by in this case, as he is following the example set by countless football clubs both in England and the rest of the world.
