Man Utd icon's footballer grandson charged by FA for allegedly placing 354 bets in three years

Notts County defender Lewis Macari has been charged by the Football Association for allegedly breaching betting rules. Macari, the grandson of former Manchester United midfielder Lou Macari, is alleged to have broken the rules over a three-year spell.

The 23-year-old is alleged to have placed 354 bets on matches between February 25, 2020 and December 4, 2022. He has been given until July 18 to respond to the charge.

Macari was a youth player at Stoke when he was alleged to have placed the bets. He came through the Potters' academy but made only one appearance for the senior side, spending time on loan with Irish side Dundalk during the period of alleged breaches.

A statement from the FA read: "Lewis Macari of Notts County FC has been charged with breaching The FA's betting rules. It's alleged that the player breached FA Rule E1(b) 354 times by placing bets on football matches between 25 February 2020 and 4 December 202: Lewis Macari has until 18 July to provide a response."

Notts County said in the statement: “The FA have informed us that Lewis Macari has been charged in relation to alleged breaches of their betting rules.

READ MORE: Man Utd trio including boss Ruben Amorim lay poignant Diogo Jota tribute at Anfield

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal's Gyokeres deal close, Liverpool make Elliott demand, Mbeumo latest

“The alleged offences took place between 25 February 2020 and 4 December 2022. We will be supporting Lewis and his representatives throughout the investigation process and will be making no further comment at this stage.”

Macari has made 61 appearances for Notts County since joining the League Two side from Stoke in 2023. The defender, who has represented Scotland at Under-18 level, made 33 appearances for County last season as they finished sixth in League Two.

The club ended up missing out on promotion, losing to AFC Wimbledon in the play-off semi-final, and will begin their League Two campaign on August 2, when they are away to Newport County.

Macari is the latest player to be charged by the FA for alleged betting breaches this year, following ex-Cheltenham and Shrewsbury striker Ryan Bowman and Wimbledon’s Osman Foyo.

Bowman was slapped with a three-and-a-half year ban for placing 6,397 bets over an eight-year period. Foyo, meanwhile, was charged last week over alleged bets placed on 252 occasions between October 2023 and March 2025.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali served a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules following an investigation by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). The Italy international, who joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July 2023 for £55million, agreed to an 18-month disqualification, eight months of which will be commuted to "a therapeutic plan" to help "recovery from gambling addiction".

The Professional Footballers’ Association of Northern Ireland partnered with software provider Gamban to block the use of gambling in April.

Melissa Etherington, partnerships executive at Gamban, said: “Gambling addiction is a growing issue in football, which impacts mental health, finances and a player’s performance on the pitch.

“It also has the potential to impact sports integrity. We are delighted to partner with PFA NI to raise awareness of Gamban among those most at risk from harms related to online gambling.”