Everton’s Yerry Mina has been fined £10,000 and warned as to his future conduct after admitting breaching Football Association betting rules.
Mina, 24, appeared in a TV advert for Colombian betting company Betjuego.
In mitigation, Everton said defender Mina’s “command of the English language is limited” and that he did “not understand the information on betting”.
The FA said the fine is “appropriate and proportionate in the circumstances”.
Mina joined the Toffees from Barcelona in August 2018.
The FA called the case “unusual” and recognised “strong mitigation put forward by the player and his club” which “significantly reduced Mina’s culpability”.
“A warning alone would be insufficient to reflect the seriousness of such a breach given that the integrity of the game is potentially threatened by breaches of the FA’s betting rules,” the FA Regulatory Commission said.
Mina’s mitigating factors:
- The advert was entirely in Spanish
- It was not broadcast outside of Colombia and was removed as soon as Mina realised he had broken betting rules
- Mina did not profit from the advert – his fee was donated to the Yerry Mina Foundation
- He admitted the charge at the earliest opportunity and apologised for his mistake
