Barton charged with betting on 44 football matches

Joey Barton has been issued with a notice of complaint by the Scottish Football Association after being accused of betting on football matches.

The SFA issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon in which it alleged the Rangers midfielder placed 44 bets between July 1 and September 15 this year.

Barton has until Wednesday, October 12 to respond, with a principal hearing date set for Thursday, October 27.

It emerged last month that Barton was under investigation by the SFA and Gambling Commission after claims he had bet on Celtic to suffer a heavy defeat to Barcelona in their opening Champions League match.

The statement from the SFA revealed that the allegations against the 34-year-old, who is serving a club imposed three-week ban after a training ground altercation, run far deeper.

"Disciplinary Rule 31: In that between 1st July and 15th September 2016, both dates inclusive, you placed 44 bets upon football matches, and accordingly gambled upon football matches in contravention of Disciplinary Rule 31,'' the SFA statement read.

The SFA has a strict no-betting policy on football games and if found guilty Barton could face a ban.