Ivan Toney has reportedly admitted to multiple breaches of the FA’s strict betting rules. The Brentford striker was accused of 232 breaches in November, before an additional 30 were added the following month. Toney, 26, was in contention for a place in England’s World Cup side – but narrowly missed out, though Gareth Southgate insists that decision was not impacted by the FA’s findings.
Though the striker pleads not guilty to some of the charges, it is now believed he has accepted ‘many breaches’ of the regulations. An official FA disciplinary is reported to be ‘imminent’ – and that hearing could see Toney face a lengthy ban from football.
Toney isn’t the first player to be accused of such breaches – Kieran Trippier was suspended for ten weeks in 2020 after he was found to have leaked inside information to others surrounding his transfer to Atletico Madrid. Brentford’s star striker will hope that his case is viewed favourably by the disciplinary panel, else he could end up facing a prolonged period on the sidelines – like Joey Barton, who was banned for 18 months after being found guilty of placing 1,260 football-related bets. That ban was reduced to 13 months after an appeal, but that’s still considerably longer than Ivan Toney will be hoping for.
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