Edinburgh footballer accused of deliberately getting himself booked in Livingston v Celtic game
A former SPFL star is due to appear in court accused of deliberately getting himself booked in an attempt to cheat at gambling.
Keaghan Jacobs is alleged to have picked up a yellow card on purpose while playing for Livingston in a Scottish Premiership league match against Celtic at the Tony Macaroni stadium in October 2019.
Jacobs, 35, is said to have “acted in a manner whereby he would receive a yellow card for the purpose of enabling or assisting others to cheat at gambling” during the clash on October 6, 2019.
A second man, Conan McDiarmid is alleged to have placed bets, and arranged for others to place bets, on Jacobs receiving the caution from referee Willie Collum during the match against the Hoops.
Court papers state McDiarmid, 40, placed the bets “in the knowledge that it had been arranged that Jacobs would act in a manner whereby he would receive a yellow card during the match”. Both men are being prosecuted under the Gambling Act 2005, Section 42, 1A.
The case against Jacobs, from Edinburgh, and McDiarmid, from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, called at the Capital’s sheriff court last Thursday where both men failed to appear in person.
The case against Jacobs was continued without plea to later this month while McDiarmid’s lawyer lodged a not guilty plea to the allegation and a trial date was set down for later this year.
The Scottish Premiership match involved in the alleged betting scam saw Livingston hand Celtic their first defeat of the season with a 2-0 win at the Tony Macaroni stadium.
Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie was shown a straight red card for a wild tackle in the 25th minute before second half goals from Scott Robinson and Lyndon Dykes secured the points for the Lions.
Jacobs was shown a yellow card by referee Willie Collum for an illegal challenge on winger Jonny Hayes in the 95th minute.
Jacobs is a South African national who had two spells with Livingston between 2007 and 2015 and again between 2017 and 2022. The midfielder has played a total of 252 times for the West Lothian club and scored 23 goals.
Jacobs has also turned out for South African club Bidvest Wits, Falkirk, Arbroath and is currently playing with Lowland League club Gala Fairydean Rovers.
Jacobs is believed to have made football history when he played alongside his three triplet brothers - Kyle, Devon and Sheldon - in a Scottish Third Division match between Livingston and Albion Rovers in April 2010. The 2-0 win in front of just over 600 supporters is said to be the only time four brothers have turned out for the same professional senior team in the same match.
McDiarmid played as a defender with a number of amateur clubs including Edinburgh United and Whitehill Welfare before he retired in 2020 and moved into management.