Ivan Toney banned for eight months over betting breaches
England and Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been banned from football for eight months due to his breach of betting rules.
The 27-year-old committed 232 violations of FA betting rules and has also been charged £50,000.
The ban, which stretches into 2024, begins immediately but the Northampton-born player will be able to train with his Premier League employers after four months, in September.
Toney sanctioned
“His [Toney] sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing,” an FA statement read.
“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.”
Toney’s breaches took place between February 2017 and January 2021.
His Premier League club, ninth in the table with two games to play, added: “Brentford FC notes the decision of an independent Regulatory Commission to issue an eight-month ban from all football and football-related activity to Ivan Toney with immediate effect.
“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.”
Toney netted 20 times inside 33 Premier League appearances in the 2022-23 season but will mis his side’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and his team’s last home game of the season – on the final day of the 2022-23 campaign – at home to potential champions Manchester City.
Toney will, as a result of the ban, also be unavailable for England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta, North Macedonia (home and away) and Ukraine, as well as the 150th anniversary match against Scotland in September and friendlies against Australia and Italy.
The striker was an outside bet for a place in Gareth Southgate’s 2022 World Cup squad but was left out of the travelling party.