Brentford and striker Ivan Toney has been banned from football for eight months after admitting to 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules.
The 27-year-old, who has scored 21 goals in all competitions this season for Brentford is now banned with immediate effect and will not be available to play until January 2024.
The forward has also been hit with a £50,000 fine for the long string of betting offences that date back to February 2017.
An FA statement read: ‘ has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules.
‘The Brentford FC forward was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232.
‘His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing. He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from 17 September 2023.
‘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 can appeal the decision.
Brentford released a short statement which read: ‘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.’
It is a huge blow for Toney, who made his England debut in March after fine form this season, and for Brentford who will be without their top-scorer for the rest of the year.
The former Peterborough United striker has been prolific for the Bees since joining them in the Championship in 2020, scoring 68 goals in 124 appearances in all competitions.
Toney had been linked with big-money summer moves to the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, but they all now seem very unlikely given he will miss the first half of next season.
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