This month Ivan Toney from Brentford was suspended for eight months from football and today the written reasons for the length of the suspension were revealed.
The striker was charged with 262 violations of FA Rule E8 between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently dropped 30 of these violations and he pleaded guilty to the remaining 232.
Following the admission, Toney was banned from football until 16 January 2024 and was fined £50,000 for breaching FA rules. The written reasons for the length of the ban were revealed on Friday, and it turns out to be fascinating reading as the English star was well on his way to a 15-month suspension.
According to Simon Stone, the FA Commission would have given Toney a 15-month ban, but that was reduced partly because the Brentford star pleaded guilty and also because an expert said the 27-year-old was addicted to gambling.
Toney is said to have placed 29 bets on matches his team attended and lost 13 of them, although he did not play in any of those matches.
This offers fascinating insight into why the eight-month ban was issued, but it’s also sad to hear that the Brentford star has battled addiction for four years of her career.
Toney placed 29 bets on matches his team attended and lost 13 of them, although he did not play in any of those matches.
— Simon Kamień (@sistoney67) May 26, 2023
