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Southport boss Neil Danns has been handed a suspended six-month ban for historic breaches of betting rules. Danns, a former Premier League midfielder, was also hit with a £1, 000 fine after admitting to placing 65 bets on football matches. The 42-year-old is the current manager of National League North club Southport having taken the role in May. However, the betting offences took place between 17 February 2007 and 13 August 2022, whilst he was still a player. During that period, Danns featured for a handful of sides including Leicester City, Birmingham City and Crystal Palace. FA rules drawn up in 2014 state that any player representing a club in the top eight tiers of English football is banned from betting on any aspect of the sport worldwide. With 62 of Danns’ 65 bets being placed before the rules were changed and three afterwards – prior to 2014, those involved were only banned from betting on a match or competition in which they were involved or could influence. Danns’ involvement came mainly through accumulators with some selections involving his own team. One included his side losing and three featured selections centred on his team winning. A Football Association Regulatory Commission report described Danns' bets as ‘modest stakes on a 'Saturday accumulator' on a reasonably widespread number of games. ’ The commission said: "There is no suggestion [he] was match fixing, betting with the benefit of any particular inside information or that there was any suspicious activity or betting patterns. " Danns waged a total amount of £2, 137. 68 winning just £814. 43. That resulted in a loss of £1, 323. 25. Danns admitted the charges against him, and the Regulatory Commission imposed these sanctions following a hearing. The ban on the Southport boss is suspended until the end of the 2025-26 season. Danns broke into football with Blackburn Rovers in 2000. He impressed in a spell with Colchester United, earning himself a move to Birmingham and later Crystal Palace. A three-year spell at Leicester followed before sealing a move back to the north west with Bolton. Danns saw out his career playing in the lower leagues and eventually hung up his boots in 2023 after leaving Macclesfield Town. At international level, he represented Guyana through his grandfather where he earned 15 caps. He featured for Guyana at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup where he became Guyana’s oldest ever player at 40 years and 6 months. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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