FA take no action against Oxford’s Ciaron Brown after spot-fixing investigation

Suspicious betting patterns centred around a yellow card issued to Brown for a foul on Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah in an FA Cup clash.

The FA will take no action against Oxford defender Ciaron Brown following a spot-fixing investigation (Zac Goodwin/PA) (PA Archive)

No further action will be taken against Oxford defender Ciaron Brown by the Football Association in relation to allegations of spot-fixing, his club have said.

The FA launched an investigation in January into suspicious betting patterns around Oxford’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal.

The betting patterns centred around a yellow card issued to Brown for a foul on Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah in the 59th minute of the match.

To have that hanging over my head for two thirds of the season was hard to deal with but I fully understand that the FA needed to check all the evidence.

Ciaron Brown

However, Oxford released a statement saying Brown would not face any action over the matter, with the investigation now closed.

Brown told the U’s website: “It’s good to finally get it over and done with. I knew nothing about the allegations at all and had absolutely no involvement.

“To have that hanging over my head for two thirds of the season was hard to deal with but I fully understand that the FA needed to check all the evidence.

“I want to thank my family, and the club who have been totally supportive throughout this process. Now I just want to concentrate on my football and enjoy a successful new season.”