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This viral picture of a goalkeeper eating a pie isn't what it seems

He could face an investigation.

Gianluca Mezzofiore

on February 21, 2017

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Wayne Shaw is a 23-stone (322-pound) reserve goalkeeper who became an internet hero after pictures of him eating a pie during his team Sutton United's FA cup game against Arsenal made the rounds on social media.

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However, the hilariously cheeky stunt hides a more uncomfortable truth.

As many people noticed on Twitter, Sun Bets, a betting company linked to The Sun newspaper, offered odds of 8-1 against him eating a pie on the bench during the game.

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Even worse, Shaw himself admitted in a post-match interview that he knew about the bet:

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“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’ve eaten nothing all day, so I might give it a go later on,’” he said.

“Sun Bets had us at 8-1 to eat a pie. I thought I would give them a bit of banter and let’s do it. All the subs were on and we were 2-0 down.”

The Football Association’s rules on betting say: “A participant shall not bet, either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause or enable any person to bet on (i) the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in, a football match or competition.”

Safe to say that after the initial, hilarious reaction, people on Twitter didn't really like that it was a PR stunt:

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