THE Football Association has ended its commercial partnership with Ladbrokes after reviewing its association with betting firms.

The governing body has announced that it will end all sponsorships from gambling companies starting from the end of the 2016/17 season.

The FA's links with betting companies was raised by Joey Barton after the Burnley midfielder was hit with an 18-month ban from all football activity in April for breaching rules on betting on football.

Now the FA has taken action, although a review of its approach to links with gambling firms was underway before Barton's statement in the wake of his ban following a personal hearing into charges he had placed over 1,200 bets on football over a 10-year period.

A statement from the Football Association said: "At May's board meeting, it was agreed that the FA would end all sponsorships with betting companies starting from the end of the 2016-17 season.

"The decision was made following a three-month review of the FA’s approach to it as a governing body taking betting sponsorship, whilst being responsible for the regulation of sports betting within the sport's rules.

"As a consequence, the FA has mutually agreed with Ladbrokes that its current partnership will be terminated from June 2017."

After being hit with his ban Barton said: "I think if the FA is truly serious about tackling the culture of gambling in football, it needs to look at its own dependence on the gambling companies, their role in football and in sports broadcasting, rather than just blaming the players who place a bet."

The governing body has now acted on the issue Barton raised, but said they will continue to work with betting companies on issues such as sharing information on suspect betting patterns.

Martin Glenn, chief executive of the FA, said: “We would like to thank Ladbrokes for both being a valued partner over the last year and for their professionalism and understanding about our change of policy around gambling.”

Jim Mullen, CEO of Ladbrokes Coral, said: “We understand the FA's decision regarding their commercial partnerships on gambling.

“Football is a passion of ours, and our customers, and we remain committed to working with the FA to ensure the integrity and trust of the sport is maintained for the fans of the game and the millions of customers who enjoy betting on it week in and week out."