Morton boss Dougie Imrie given 10-game ban for betting offences | Football News

Morton manager Dougie Imrie has been hit with a 10-game ban for betting offences.

Imrie was among a group of players and coaches cited for incidents between 2011 and 2019.

The first of the six charges against Imrie, who was named Scottish Championship manager of the month in January, date back to when he was a player with Hamilton Accies.

A statement from Morton said: “Greenock Morton can today confirm that First Team Manager Dougie Imrie has been handed a 10-match ban (six of these to be served immediately and the other four suspended until the end of next season) following today’s hearing.

“The club have requested a full explanation from the panel for the reasons behind their decision. Upon receipt of that explanation, the club will discuss with Dougie the possibility of an appeal against this decision.

“We will be making no further comment at this time, but the club board would like to reaffirm its backing of Dougie in this process.”

Imrie will miss the next six matches, with another four suspended until the end of next season.

Cove Rangers assistant Gordon Young, Threave Rovers’ Bryan Gilfillan, Deveronvale winger Robert Scott, and Arbroath’s Gavin Swankie also had their cases heard.

Young has been hit with the same punishment as Imrie, so will serve an immediate six-match ban with a further four matches suspended until the end of the 2022/23 season.

Swankie and Scott have both been given an eight-game ban, with four suspended, and Gilfillan got a six-game ban with three suspended.

A further nine players have seen their cases postponed for allegedly breaching the SFA’s gambling rules.

They are: Elgin City’s Thomas McHale, Matthew Cooper, Darryl McHardy, Conor O’Keefe and Aiden Sopel, Shane Sutherland of Inverness, Stirling Albion’s Rabin Omar, James McGowan of Albion Rovers and Strathspey Thistle’s Ashley Ballam.