Joey Barton has been charged by the Football Association with breaking betting rules just three days after agreeing a deal to rejoin Premier League side Burnley.
Barton, 34, left Burnley in the summer to join Scottish Premiership side Rangers but the move turned sour following a training ground bust-up and his contract was eventually terminated.
The player had already been handed a one-match suspension for breaking Scottish Football Association betting rules after he placed 44 bets on games in Scotland, which means he was already banned for one match back at Burnley.
Joey Barton has been charged for misconduct in relation to betting: https://t.co/ne3wrCGD6Q
- The FA (@FA) December 23, 2016
And now he has been charged by the FA in England for misconduct in relation to betting, alleged to have placed 1,260 bets over a 10-year period from 2006 to 2016.
A statement released on the FA's website read: "Joey Barton has been charged for misconduct in relation to betting. It is alleged that between 26 March 2006 and 13 May 2016, he placed 1,260 bets on the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in, football matches or competitions in breach of FA Rule E8.
"He has until 5 January 2017 to respond to the charge."
Barton was released by Rangers after initially being banished from the club following a row with manager Mark Warburton in the wake of September's humiliating 5-1 defeat to Celtic.
He is due to sign for Burnley on a free transfer in January once the transfer window reopens.