Reading’s Bowen fined £7,000 for gambling breaches

Reading’s head of football operations Mark Bowen has been suspended and fined £7,000 for breaching Football Association betting rules.

Bowen admitted to an independent regulatory commission that he placed 95 bets on football games unrelated to Reading from April 2022 to January 2024.

The 60-year-old was given a 12-week ban, beginning on 17 July, eight weeks of which are suspended until the end of the 2025-26 season.

The former Norwich and Wales full-back managed the Royals for a 10-month spell in 2019 and 2020 and then returned to the club in his current role two years ago.

A small number of the bets placed by Bowen occurred while he was interim manager of AFC Wimbledon between March and May 2022.

The commission’s report said he staked £8,450 across the 95 bets, resulting in a loss of £510.98.