The Football Association (FA) has charged Brentford F.C. star Ivan Toney with 232 alleged violations of the UK gambling rules and he now faces a possible ban from football until at least the end of the season.
The professional football player, who was already overlooked for England’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar following the revelations of the ongoing investigation of the FA, has been charged with misconduct for violating gambling laws. Media hubs claim that the report triggered by the Football Association’s probe is about 2,800 pages long.
The 26-year-old Toney was one of the contenders for Gareth Southgate’s squad for the World Cup after an excellent start of the season, scoring 10 goals in 14 league games. However, earlier in November, reports emerged that he was subject to a seven-month investigation by the Football Association. According to the investigation, Ivan Toney is not thought to have placed bets against his own club – for which he could have been slapped with a lifetime ban from football – but is found to have placed wagers on his club to win. Such misconduct could bring him a six-month ban from the game.
The number of bets, which, according to the claims, have been placed from February 2017 to January 2021, and the amount wagered by the English Premier League (EPL) player would be taken into account in case Toney is found to have broken the gambling rules in the UK.
Toney Was Hoping to Enter Gareth Southgate’s Squad for 2022 World Cup
After it became clear that Ivan Toney has been charged with misconduct linked to alleged breaches of the FA betting rules, Brentford F.C. issued a statement saying that the club had been discussing the situation with the player and his legal team and would continue to hold such conversation privately.
Toney was one of the footballers who got picked in the last England squad before the World Cup but Gareth Southgate did not use him and was yet hoping to make his international debut. Considering the situation, this may not happen now.
After information of the ongoing probe into the 26-year-old player, Toney confirmed he was assisting the Football Association with their enquiries. According to reports, Brentford F.C.’s star was devastated that the information regarding the probe had leaked because he feared it could wipe out his chances of taking part in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Last night, the FA issued a statement reading that the forward violated FA Rule E8 a total of 232 times from February 25th, 2017 to January 23rd, 2021.
Ivan Toney is not the only professional footballer who faced charges for breaching the Football Association’s gambling rules. In 2017, Joey Barton faced an 18-month ban from football, which was later reduced to 13 months away from the game. At the time, he admitted placing 1,260 wagers on football matches, including a few matches he took part in. In 2020, another football player – Daniel Sturridge – faced a four-month ban from the game as well as a monetary fine for the provision of inside information on his then-potential transfer to Sevilla from Liverpool two years earlier to third parties.
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Daniel Williams
