Downfall of roly-poly goalkeeper who ate all the pie on live TV
Sutton reserve accused of breaching betting laws by completing FA Cup stunt given odds of 8-1 ‘He’s absolutely devastated. Tears down the phone. I think he’s been illadvised and just made a genuine mistake’
By WEIGHING in at 23 stones, Wayne Shaw, Sutton United’s reserve goalkeeper, gave the appearance of a man who had eaten all the pies. But it was his chomping on just one of them that yesterday brought about his downfall.
A day after the non-league team’s biggest match – an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal – Shaw, dubbed the “roly-poly goalie”, was forced to resign from Sutton United over a publicity stunt that may have broken strict betting rules. Lawyers suggested he may even have committed a criminal offence.
Shaw, 46, was said to be in tears after being ordered to quit his unlikely job as reserve team goalkeeper.
Shaw became a television and internet sensation after being caught on the BBC’s cameras munching with great relish on a large meat pie in the 83rd minute of the match. At the time Sutton were 2-0 down and all the substitutes had been used up, meaning there was no chance of him playing.
But gambling company Sun Bets, which is linked to the Sun newspaper, had offered 8-1 odds before the game that Shaw would be seen eating a pie during the match. Sun Bets, which sponsored Sutton’s shirts for the fifth round tie, had publicised the novelty bet before the match and later tweeted it had paid out a five-figure sum.
Both the Gambling Commission and the Football Association have now begun investigations into possible breaches of betting rules.
Shaw, who also kept Sutton United’s artificial turf clean by vacuuming it and doubled up as the club’s barman, admitted he was aware of the betting promotion before the game. He denied placing any bet himself.
“I went and got it [the pie] at half time from the kitchen. I had it all prepared and ready to go. It was meat and potato,” Shaw said after the game. “A few of the lads said to me earlier on, ‘What is going on with the 8-1 about eating a pie?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. I have eaten nothing all day so I might give it a go later on.’”
In a statement announcing Shaw’s resignation, Sutton said: “Wayne Shaw has resigned from his role at Sutton United following the events of last evening and subsequent publicity. He has said that he fully understands the club’s position regarding this matter.
“We are naturally disappointed that Wayne’s time with us should end in this manner, and would like to thank him for his contribution to the club and wish him well for the future.”
Sutton’s manager Paul Doswell, who is a close friend of Shaw, said: “He’s absolutely devastated. Tears down the phone. I think he’s been ill-advised at times and he’s just made a genuine mistake. He’s such a lovely man but he’s been swept along and his judgement obviously wasn’t great last night and he’s going to pay the price for that.”
The Gambling Commission, the industry watchdog, said it was taking the matter seriously.
Richard Watson, the Commission’s enforcement and intelligence director, said: “Integrity in sport is not a joke and we have opened an investigation to establish exactly what happened.”