Is that it? That was the question, posed by a senior official at St Patrick's Athletic which was rattling around the minds of those at Richmond Park today as a new week begins for the club, one which could not be any worse for the Saints than last week as reports of betting irregularities hit the club hard.

After days of rumour and innuendo, some facts finally emerged over the last 48 hours, as Pats player Gary Dempsey, a Wexford native in his first season with the club, admitted that he had bet against his team to lose in one of the contentious defeats of the last four weeks.

He qualified that by claiming that he had only bet €20 on the game and he was not playing for Pats in the match in question, so was not in a position to influence the outcome.

Hence the question posed above, is that it? Though it has two meanings, one of which could be more damaging for the club and for Irish football.

In one way, 'Is that it?' suggests that, in the words of Stephen McGuinness, head man in the PFAI (players' union) yesterday, the matter is "a storm in a teacup".

INSUFFICIENT

A player, who was not involved in a match in any way, bet an amount of cash insufficient to even buy a round of drinks in a Dublin pub as part of a double, one bet on a game in Ireland (St Pats-Galway United), the other in England (a Manchester City game), and he loses the bet (Pats lost their game, as he predicted in his bet but City also lost). He didn't play in the game, it was a small amount of money, no big deal.

But the question is also a leading one, as Pats are still wondering, 'Is that it?' -- is there more to come? Is this not just a "storm in a teacup" but the first of many cases of players at the club betting against their own team? That's why the investigation, started by St Pats last week and now also involving the FAI, has not yet finished, with St Pats sources suggesting this morning that the matter was still not closed and they needed to be sure that this incident was a one-off before they close the book on Pats players getting into bed with bookies.

The Pats squad discussed the matter at a distracted training session yesterday and the club's officials will have more talks with the playing staff over the next 48 hours to, in the words of one club source, "keep digging".

But it does appear that, no matter what happens now - with anything up to a lifetime ban on the cards for Gary Dempsey - that he may have played his last game for St Patrick's Athletic. Dempsey insists that he committed no crime, broke neither the law of the land nor the laws of football.

"I placed a €20 bet on my club to lose in a double on an occasion which I was not playing and in which I had no influence on the game. I have never before or since placed a bet on my team to lose a game. The bet was in fact unsuccessful as the other team involved were beaten," Dempsey said in a statement he issued via the PFAI website.

"I'm not aware and have never been made aware of any regulations that prohibit me from placing a bet on a match that I was not involved in. As far as I'm concerned this incident has been blown out of proportion and I am of course prepared to meet with club officials to sort this matter out. I apologise if my actions have caused distress to my team mates or my club."

Dempsey is a talented player, a trailblazer in that he was one of the first footballers from Wexford to play at a high level abroad and won international underage honours. He's also experienced, having played over 150 league games in England and Scotland.

LEVELLED

So one charge that can be levelled at the player is naïveté, something not expected from a player aged 27 who has been a pro footballer for over a decade. But it was still strange to see the defence of the player from his union, the PFAI, who maintained that the matter had been "blown out of all proportion".

"Gary Dempsey is a model professional who has made a minor error of judgment. The PFAI cannot condone betting in matches in which a player is himself involved but it is important to distinguish between that and the current situation in which Gary was sitting in the stand and was no more in position to influence the result than any other spectator," said PFAI general secretary Stephen McGuinness today.

"While placing a bet in Gary's situation was inadvisable, it was not contrary to any FAI regulation and in those circumstances, he should not be subject to any disciplinary sanction. This whole incident is a storm in a teacup.

"I respect that St Patrick's Athletic have to investigate this matter but it's clear that Gary's momentary lapse of judgment does not merit any punishment and I will speaking with [Pats CEO] Richard Sadlier immediately on my return on Monday."

Dempsey has, for the moment, been temporarily suspended by the club, and with only one game left this season, he won't feature for the club again in 2008. Whether Dempsey can resume his career at St Pats, playing alongside players and in front of fans who know that he hoped to profit from a game they would go on to lose, remains to be seen.

- Aidan Fitzmaurice