The Football Association (FA) announced Thursday it fined Everton forward Martin Sherif £5,000 ($6,600) for breaching its betting rules.
- Sherif said he did not personally place the wagers.
- Independent investigators found Sherif showed “genuine remorse.”
- The Premier League banned front-of-shirt betting sponsors at the beginning of the campaign.
Sherif, a Liberian-born Dutch youth international, has yet to make a Premier League appearance for Everton and plays for the club’s U21 side.
Sherif told the FA he had not personally placed any of the 61 bets recorded between November 2024 and February 2026, according to The Independent. However, he pleaded guilty to enabling the bets, which totaled £2,000 ($2,600), by funding a sportsbook account and allowing others to wager under his name.
It is unclear which sports or matches the bets involved.
An independent regulatory commission found that Sherif admitted guilt soon after being charged in August and cooperated with investigators, demonstrating what it described as “genuine remorse.”
Sherif joined Everton’s youth system in 2019 and joined first-team training in early 2025. The Premier League allows players still assigned to its youth programs to train with the men’s team even if they are not part of the matchday squad.
He spent last season on loan at Rotherham and Port Vale in League One before eventually returning to his Merseyside club.
Another betting case hits Premier League
The Premier League has been the source of several scandals in recent years. Ex-Brentford striker Ivan Toney was banned for eight months and fined £55,000 ($66,200) in 2023 after confessing to 232 breaches of betting bylaws, including betting on his own team to lose 13 times.
Tottenham midfielder Sandro Tonali served a 10-month ban during his tenure at Newcastle United for betting offenses committed while still playing at AC Milan. He was later given a suspended two-month ban and £20,000 ($26,500) fine for placing another 50 illegal bets after arriving at Newcastle.
Everton have ties to the world of gambling through its sponsorship with an online casino and sports betting platform. Stake was moved to the club’s sleeve on its matchday kit after a new rule banning primary sponsorships with betting companies went into effect at the start of the season.
CMC Markets replaced Stake as Everton’s front-of-shirt sponsor in a deal reportedly worth about £50 million ($66.1 million) over three years.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
Everton's hot start
Everton sit seventh in the Premier League after the first international break and is one of five teams unbeaten through five games.
Despite the club’s hot start, it is only +900 (11th) to finish in the top five - an achievement that typically results in qualification for the Champions League - at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Toffees are +105 to beat Hull on Saturday, while Hull are +265 and a draw is +250.
