Judgment of the Regulatory Commission
Ivan Toney, Brentford FC’s top scorer and third-place scorer in the Premier League, has been handed an eight-month ban with immediate effect. This is the decision of an independent regulatory commission, as the “Bees” announced on Wednesday. The 27-year-old striker has also been fined £50,000 and received a warning.
According to the verdict, Toney has broken the betting rules in several hundred cases. The English Football Association FA had accused the national player of 262 offenses, 30 violations were subsequently withdrawn. The crimes happened between February 25, 2017 and January 23, 2021. During the period in question, Toney played for lower-league clubs Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic and Peterborough United, as well as Brentford.
Toney has garnered international attention this season with 20 goals in 33 games. Only Erling Haaland (36 goals) from Manchester City and Tottenham star Harry Kane (27) have netted more often in the Premier League. As a result of his strong goal tally and his first England call-up in September, Toney’s market value has risen by €15m to €50m since the start of the season. However, Brentford’s striker had missed out on being called up for the World Cup in Qatar.
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The attacker is accused, among other things, of breaking FA rule E8. This prohibits footballers from betting on games and the disclosure of information as a basis for betting. It’s not the first time a prominent footballer has been penalized for breaking betting rules in England. In December 2020, the FA suspended Kieran Trippier for 10 weeks for providing information to others to bet on his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Atlético Madrid. Joey Barton had to sit out for several months because the ex-player had placed around 1,260 football bets over ten years.
Brentford FC, who will be without Toney up to and including 16 January 2024, made no further comment. The club wants to wait for the publication of the written justification of the independent regulatory commission, it said. “We will review them before we think about our next steps.” However, Toney is allowed to return to training at his club four months before the end of the suspension, the FA said in a statement.
club statement
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) May 17, 2023
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