A-League player faces jail over betting breaches

Professional footballer Avraam Papadopoulos has been given a suspended two-and-a-half year jail sentence by a Greek court after illegally betting on games.

Papadopoulos was one of 58 people handed punishments by the Court of Appeal in Athens for their role in a match-fixing scandal in 2011, according to the AFP news agency.

The 33-year-old Greek currently plays his club football for Brisbane Roar in Australia’s A-League, but was with Greek Super League team Olympiacos at the time of the incident.

Papadopoulos, who claimed the allegations were “not true” when he joined Roar last year, will reportedly be given the right to appeal the sentence.

A Roar spokesperson confirmed the club knew of the allegations when it agreed to sign Papadopoulos.

“Brisbane Roar Football Club were aware of an investigation into betting on football matches in Greece between 2009 and 2010 involving Avram Papadopoulos when he signed for Brisbane in February, 2017,” the spokesperson said, according to Fox Sports.

“The club are awaiting further information on this matter and will not be making any further comment at this time.”

Papadopoulos is also a former Greek international who represented his country in the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Related article: Police halt football match-fixing operation in Spain