England striker banned for betting

Ivan Toney celebrates after scoring a goal
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney has been banned from football for eight months and fined $100,000 after admitting to 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules.

His suspension starts immediately, but the 27-year-old can return to training with Brentford four months before it ends on 17 September.

Toney will not be allowed to play again until 17 January, 2024.

The 27-year-old was charged by the FA in November for allegedly breaching the rules 232 times between 2017 and 2021. He was charged with 30 more alleged breaches in December.

“The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232,” the governing body said.

“The independent regulatory commission’s written reasons for these sanctions will be published in due course, and the FA will wait to review them before commenting further.”

“Brentford FC is currently awaiting the publication of the written reasons of the independent regulatory commission. We will review them before considering our next steps,” the Premier League club said.

Toney has scored 20 goals in 33 league games for Brentford this season, helping them to ninth in the Premier League standings. He will miss Saturday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur and the final game of the season at home to leaders Manchester City on May 28.

Toney won his first England cap as a late substitute in the 2-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Ukraine in March, having received his first call-up to Gareth Southgate’s squad last September.

England defender Kieran Trippier was banned for 10 weeks by the FA in December 2020 for giving out information for others to bet on his transfer from Tottenham to Atletico Madrid.

In 2017, Joey Barton – then a Burnley player – was banned for 18 months, reduced to 13 on appeal, after admitting placing 1,260 football-related bets over a 10-year period.

-Reuters/BBC