Port Vale new signing Mitch Clark cleared to play after receiving suspended suspension

Port Vale’s recent signing Mitch Clark has been cleared to play for the club after the FA handed him a suspended suspension for breaches of betting regulations.

The three month suspension would only come into play should Clark breach any regulations in the next two years.

The defender rejoined the Valiants this month and on joining the club he referenced the betting issue by tweeting: “I want to say thank you to everyone that made this deal happen and have put trust in me to become a better person and player. I can’t explain how happy I am to be back home!” After the signing, Director of Football David Flitcroft added: “His honesty in handling and dealing with the gambling issue surrounding him was absolutely immense, as a club we understand that people make mistakes and if they are accountable and take ownership, we support and work with them on making a potential weakness a strength.”

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He appeared to be doing everything right to tackle the issue and was involved in counselling, with good options for more treatment in the future…

FA disciplinary panel verdict on Mitch Clarke

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Clark admitted placing 312 bets placed on football matches while playing for Accrington Stanley. During the FA hearing Clark admitted that he was seeking help with his addiction with the assistance of the PFA. The report also noted that there was no suggestion that the bet or the Defendant’s conduct had any impact on the integrity of  any games that Accrington played in.

The panel added that Clark had promptly admitted his misconduct and fully cooperated with the proceedings, given candid and complete answers during the interview process and at the hearing and exhibited genuine remorse.

The report also noted that there was: “a genuine chance for this relatively young man to learn to control his gambling addiction. He appeared to be doing everything right to tackle the issue and was involved in counselling, with good options for more treatment in the future. Putting him into a period of unemployability did not seem conducive to the aim of rehabilitation. It was felt that suspending the sporting sanction would not undermine the seriousness of the offence or the sanction but would instead allow the suspended sanction to act as a deterrent against future misconduct and a further incentive to the Defendant to address his issues.”

The results of the disciplinary panel report were published on the FA website and say:

Mitch Clark has been given a suspended three-month suspension and £600 fine by an independent Regulatory Commission for breaching The FA’s Betting Rules.

The Port Vale defender admitted that he breached FA Rule E1(b) by placing 312 bets placed on football matches while playing for Accrington Stanley between 08 February 2022 and 10 March 2023.

The three-month suspension has been suspended for two years pending any further breach of The FA’s Betting Rules