Brighton & Hove Albion have banned the Guardian’s reporters and photographers from attending matches at the Amex Stadium after it reported on allegations relating to the Premier League club’s owner, Tony Bloom.
The club notified the Guardian on Saturday to say it felt it “would be inappropriate for journalists and photographers from the Guardian to be accredited to matches at the Amex, starting from Sunday’s game against West Ham”. The move follows reports in the Guardian that have raised questions from MPs about the activities of Bloom, a billionaire who has made his money from gambling.
The Guardian revealed last week that Bloom, the majority shareholder at Brighton, is being sued in a lawsuit that alleges “frontmen” were sometimes used when his gambling syndicate placed bets on sports events. The details were set out in a public document at the high court in London, which named George Cottrell, a close associate of the Reform party leader, Nigel Farage, as one person who acted as a front for the collective, known as the Starlizard Betting Syndicate. The case involves a dispute between Bloom and Ryan Dudfield, a former associate who claims he is owed a share of gambling profits.
The syndicate makes about £600m each year in winnings, the document alleges.
Bloom has yet to file a defence to the lawsuit. He did not respond to questions from the Guardian about the claim. Lawyers acting for Cottrell were approached for comment.
On Friday, the Guardian published a second story which focused on allegations Bloom could be an anonymous gambler behind $70m (£52m) in winnings – which allegedly included bets on his football teams.
Bloom declined to comment about this specific claim, but through a source made clear he denied betting on his own teams or competitions that involve them, describing any such allegations as “entirely false”.
Following publication of the Guardian story, Bloom issued a public statement through Brighton & Hove Albion FC in which he said: “I can categorically assure our supporters that I have not placed bets on any Brighton & Hove Albion matches since becoming the owner of the club in 2009.”
MPs have said these matters need to be properly examined.
Clive Betts, the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on football, said on Friday that the Football Association needed to conduct “a thorough and comprehensive investigation”.
Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative party, said: “The FA must be much more transparent about their lax policy concerning the use of gambling money in the running of their clubs.”
A spokesperson for the Guardian said: “It is a worrying development that Brighton has introduced this ban. The questions raised by our reporting are in the public interest and have been pursued in a responsible manner.”
