Ex West Ham employee is facing the sack
Downes has been suspended from all football activity for 28 days and fined £3,000 after he admitted breaching betting rules.
The Football Association has said Downes was suspended until 14th November for placing bets on eight matches between November 2013 and July 2019. Downes was suspended indefinitely by AFC Wimbledon in late September after being charged by the FA. His assistant Glyn Hodges has been in charge of first-team duties and the club said after Friday’s verdict that they would make a statement in due course.
The FA said Downes placed five bets on football matches between 30 November 2013 and 30 January 2014, and three bets between 16 March 2019 and 12 July 2019.
Downes was appointed as a defensive coach at West Ham nder manager Avram Grant in 2010. His appointment came hours after the West Ham board sacked assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic. He kept his job when Grant was sacked working under manager Sam Allardyce took over.
Downes’ departure from West Ham was announced in December 2012 around mysterious circumstances which were never really explained.