Everton forward Martin Sherif has been charged by the Football Association over allegations that he placed 61 bets on football matches during a period of around 15 months.
The FA alleges that the 20-year-old breached Rule E1.2 through bets made between 20 November 2024 and 12 February 2026. Sherif has been given until Monday, 17 August, to formally respond to the charge.
Sherif remains part of Everton’s development setup and has yet to make a competitive senior appearance for the Premier League club. He joined Everton’s academy from Dutch side Almere City in 2019 and has since progressed to under-21 level while also being involved around the first-team squad.
The Liberian-born forward, who has previously represented the Netherlands at youth level, spent the 2025/26 season gaining senior experience on loan in League One. He featured for both Rotherham United and Port Vale, scoring four league goals across 24 appearances, with both clubs eventually relegated to League Two.
The allegations cover a period that began while Sherif was still establishing himself in Everton’s youth ranks and continued through his loan spells away from Goodison Park. The FA has not yet announced any sanction, with the disciplinary process dependent on Sherif’s response and the subsequent handling of the case.
FA rules prevent players and other football participants from betting on football matches and other football-related markets. The restrictions apply broadly across the English game rather than only to matches involving the player’s own team.
Sherif becomes the latest professional footballer to face disciplinary action connected to betting regulations. Brentford striker Ivan Toney received an eight-month suspension in 2023 after admitting 232 breaches of FA betting rules, while Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali later received separate sanctions in England and Italy in connection with betting offences.
The Sherif case also arrives during an ongoing shift in the Premier League’s relationship with gambling sponsorship. Everton previously carried Stake as its main shirt sponsor and has retained a commercial relationship with the betting operator after moving away from front-of-shirt gambling branding.
For now, the charge remains an allegation. Sherif’s next formal step is to provide his response to the FA before the 17 August deadline, after which the governing body can determine how the disciplinary case proceeds.