Former Liverpool and England striker Daniel Sturridge has been banned from football and all football-related activities until June 17, 2020, and has been fined £150,000. The 30-year-old was accused of passing inside information to his brother on a potential move to Sevilla in 2018. The former England international was earlier fined £75,000 and given a two-week ban but following a successful ban by Football Association (FA) the ban has been extended from two weeks to four months and the fine has also been doubled. Virgil van Dijk on Liverpool's First Premier League Defeat This Season, Says 'Tough One to Take'.

The Englishman was handed a four-month ban from football-related activity for breaching the betting regulations. Along with this sanction, the 30-year-old contract with Turkish club Trabzonspor was also terminated by mutual consent on Monday (March 2, 2020). Sturridge joined the side from Turkey earlier in the season from Liverpool on a three-year deal but has seen his stay cut short after just 16 appearances for the club. Liverpool Striker Daniel Sturridge Rejects Gambling Allegations by England's Football Association.

‘Daniel Sturridge has been suspended from all football and football-related activity from today until the end of 17 June 2020’ the FA said in a statement. ‘In relation to the sanction, the Appeal Board agreed with The FA that the penalty originally imposed on Mr Sturridge was unduly lenient and therefore increased his effective playing ban from two weeks to four months’ they added.

The former Liverpool man expressed his views on the incident via his official Instagram account. Sturridge said ‘I am going to continue to campaign for professional footballers to be able to speak to their families and close friends freely without the real risk of being charged. I feel the betting companies and the practice of people being able to place bets on players moving clubs has to be stopped.’

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Before moving to Trabzonspor, Daniel Sturridge had spells at Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. The Englishman enjoyed his most prolific season in England with the Reds where he formed a prolific strike partnership with Luis Suarez and scored 24 goals in the 2013/14 season, almost guiding Liverpool to Premier League glory.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2020 11:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).