Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand is being investigated by the Premier League after it emerged that there were odd betting patterns in the run up to the pre match handshakes against Chelsea yesterday.
It was well known that Ferdinand would not shake hands with John Terry who was accused of racially abusing him at the same fixture last season. However in the half hour before that hand shakes lots of money was placed on Ferdinand also refusing to shake the hand of Ashley Cole.
In a statement the Premier League said: "This matter has been referred to Nigel Mawer, head of the UEFA's integrity unit, to make preliminary enquiries to establish what has taken place and to consider if any action is appropriate."
From around an 8-11 odds-on that Cole would get a shake, the odds for the Chelsea player, who is no stranger to controversy, drifted to 11-8 against by the time the teams walked out on the pitch.
Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards said the League "take any potential breach of members' betting rules very seriously".
"The Premier League and UEFA have a network of international partners to monitor such issues," said Richards.
"Any player found guilty of such a breach is likely to be banned for life from football. Protecting the integrity of the pre match handshake is of paramount importance."
