Celtic fan blew mother-in-law's £9k savings at bookies

while trying to win cash to buy motorbike

EDINBURGH university student Maurizio Mustapha's marriage is in tatters after his 'dead cert' Celtic to beat St Johnstone bet lost.

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A LIFELONG Celtic fan tried to pay for a new motorbike by gambling £9000 of his mother-in-law’s savings on his heroes winning an SPL match.

But student Maurizio Mustapha’s marriage is now on the rocks after the “dead cert” went down when the Hoops suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at St Johnstone.

Yesterday, the 38-year-old admitted: “I’ve ruined my life over a moment of madness.

“Even if the relationship with my wife defrosts, I don’t think she will ever trust me again.”

He pledged: “I will never set foot in a bookies again.”

Edinburgh University student Maurizio had set his heart on buying a scooter after struggling to pay parking fees for his car near his classes.

He reckoned £2500 would get him a decent one on the Gumtree classified ads website as well as taking care of the insurance and a helmet.

And he gave in to temptation by cleaning out an RBS savings account, even though the £10,000 in it was his mum-in-law’s and had been placed there while she battled serious illness.

Maurizio walked out of the bank with the cash in £100 notes and lumped £9000 of it on a Celtic win at odds of 1-3 at a branch of William Hill in Corstorphine, Edinburgh.

Maurizio, of Corstorphine, insisted yesterday that his decision to back his heroes had been based on hard-headed research rather than football loyalty.

Saints had lost seven players through injury and hadn’t won all season.

Celtic took the lead but the bet backfired as Gregory Tade and Rowan Vine struck for the Perth men last Saturday.

Distraught Maurizio had to phone wife Sofia, 33, who has been living in Wood Green, London, while she looks after her mum, to tell her the cash was gone.

He said yesterday: “She obviously asked why I had not just taken the money and bought the scooter.

“But in placing the bet, I was thinking nobody else would need to know where I got the cash for the bike and there would have been no need to pay it back.

“It looks like I’ve ruined my marriage over an act of folly.

“No matter what happens in life, my mother-in-law wants the money back and at the end of the day I will somehow repay it.

“But I don’t think she will trust me again.

“It would be nice if Celtic would say, as a goodwill gesture, here’s a pint or a few match tickets as recompense for screwing up my life.”

William Hill sources confirmed a punter lost £9000 on the match.

Sofia could not be contacted for comment.