'Give him his job back' Wayne Shaw pie petition attracts more than 5,000 signatures
A petition calling for Wayne Shaw to be given his job back has attracted more than 5,000 signatures in little more than 24 hours following his controversial departure from Sutton United.
By 6pm on Wednesday, a change.org petition had been supported by 5,079 people wanting the 46-year-old goalkeeper and coach reinstated following his forced resignation over a pie-eating stunt during his side’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal on Monday night.
Shaw’s antics were the subject of investigations from the Gambling Commission and the Football Association after he was filmed consuming a pasty on the sidelines in the 83rd minute of the game.
Sun Bets, the bookmaker that also sponsored Sutton’s shirts during the tie, had offered odds of 8-1 that 23-stone Shaw, dubbed the ‘roly-poly goalie’, would eat a pie on camera.
Although he insisted he had not placed a bet that he would do so, Shaw admitted giving a few friends “the nod”, potentially breaking FA rules on the passing of inside information and even the law.
The Gambling Commission, which licenses and regulates gambling in Britain, was looking into whether there was any “irregularity in the betting market and establishing whether the operator [Sun Bets] has met its licence requirement to conduct its business with integrity”.
It warned bookmakers in June about the integrity of taking bets on novelty markets.
The demise of Shaw, who was given the option of resigning or being sacked by Sutton, has divided opinion, with a petition backing him set up on Tuesday afternoon.
“Justice must prevail and Wayne must be reinstated to the subs’ bench,” read a line within the petition’s statement.
Shaw, said to have been in tears over the loss of his job, had already received public backing from the likes of Gary Lineker and Piers Morgan.
The National League club’s manager, Paul Doswell, told Sky News on Tuesday: “We felt we had to take very strong actions. The chairman spoke to him this afternoon and Wayne offered his resignation.
“I’m devastated, the chairman is devastated. I have spoken to Wayne and the guy is in tears, crying down the phone. It is a very sad situation.”
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