Ivan Toney, who plays as striker for Premier League club Brentford FC, has received an eight-month suspension from football for betting on matches.
The punishment was announced yesterday evening following an investigation into allegations that he had breached Football Association betting rules on 232 occasions.
The breaches were discovered in November of 2022 just as Toney was expected to be named in England’s World Cup Squad. He was charged at the time and allowed to continue playing while the investigation was carried out. That process is now complete and the player has admitted breaking the rules.
According to the FA’s regulations, players, managers, coaches, club staff, directors, and agents are prohibited to gamble on football matches. This is either directly or indirectly via a proxy or agent and includes any football match that takes place anywhere in the world.
It was found that between 25th, February 2017 and 23rd, January 2021, Toney placed 232 bets on football matches. At the time of the wagers he played for Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United and Brentford. While the full details of the breaches have yet to be released, there have been no indications that he placed wagers on matches that he played in or could have had any influence on the outcome of.
The suspension begins with immediate effect and will cover all games until the 17th January 2024. Toney will be allowed to return to training after four months on September 17th.
Toney will miss Brentford’s remaining matches this season against Tottenham and Manchester City. He has scored 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances this season with Brentford currently sitting in ninth place in the Premier League.
Toney has also been fined £50,000 and warned about his future conduct. It’s believed that he will also attend a problem gambling rehabilitation program during his suspension.
The player said on social media that he is disappointed with the punishment and will wait until the independent Regulatory Commission publishes its full reasoning behind the punishment before commenting further.
“I make no further comment at this point other than to thank my family and friends, Brentford FC and our fans for their continued support, through what has been a very difficult time. I now focus on returning to play the game I love next season.”
In a statement, the FA said:
“His [Toney] sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing. 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.”
News of Toney’s suspension comes at a time when Premier League clubs’ association with betting firms has been under the spotlight. In April of this year, Premier League clubs voted to end front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship deals by the end of the 2025/26 season. The move was a voluntary one that preceded the publication of the UK government’s white paper on gambling reform. It’s believed that the government had intimated that if the clubs made a voluntary decision to stop front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship deals, it would not include a ban in its recommendations for gambling industry reform.
Critics of the Premier League’s move said that it failed to address the issue of gambling sponsorship in the wider realm of football. Despite the ban, gambling adverts will still appear on pitch-side hoardings throughout games with one study showing that gambling firm’s logos could be visible up to 700 times during a single football match.
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.