Eighty-seven professional footballers have broken rules banning them from betting on top French football leagues, with 23 under particular scrutiny from the Professional Football League (LFP) for having placed online bets against their own teams.

The figures were garnered from cross-referencing betting files from the online gaming regulation authority (Arjel) and a list of 1,600 professional players provided by the LFP.

LFP president Frederic Thiriez said Monday that "no known or emblematic player" was part of the 87 to be investigated.

The 87 were made up of 19 from Ligue 1, 54 from Ligue 2 and 14 from the National (third division).

While the average amount gambled was just 20 euros, there were 14 players who bet more than 500 euros and 23 players who bet against their own team, five having also taken part in the matches involved.

Under French law, sportsmen are not allowed to bet on competitions in which they are taking part. A recent decree allows sporting federations and Arjel to share information in a bid to weed out the offending gamblers.