FA expresses match-fixing concerns as Chester City players receive bans

Disciplinary chiefs have expressed "serious concerns" that a Football League match may have been fixed after four players -including Chester’s Jay Harris and David Mannix - were banned for between five months and a year for betting on the outcome.

The four players have been suspended and fined after betting on the outcome of the League Two match between Accrington and Bury on May 3 2008 - three of the players were with Stanley at the time and the other at Bury, who won the game 2-0.

Harris has been banned for a year and fined a total of £5,500 by an independent FA regulatory commission, Mannix has been given a 10-month ban and fined £4,000, and Robert Williams suspended for eight months and fined £3,500.

Andrew Mangan, who was then a Bury player, has been banned for five months and fined £2,000 for betting on his team to win.

Nicholas Stewart QC, chairman of the regulatory commission, said in a statement: "The regulatory commission have serious concerns that the outcome of the match may have been fixed although none of the players were charged with these offences."