Brentford Striker Ivan Toney to Serve 8-Month Ban from Soccer

Ivan Toney will have to sit out eight months of playtime, the English Football Association confirmed on Wednesday, citing Toney’s breaches of betting rules. The organizaiton has banned Toney from all soccer and soccer-related activity through January 16, 2024.

Not as Bad as Previously Expected

Toney has also been ordered to pay a fine of $62,000 corresponding to 262 charges of breaching the organization’s betting rules. The offenses were carried out in the period between February 2017 and January 2021, the Football Association confirmed.

Toney’s own culpability in the matter has been well-establishing with the player owing up to committing 232 of the breaches and denying participation in 30. The soccer player has performed exceptionally in the Premier League in the midst of the investigation against him, scoring 20 goals this season.

Commenting on the ban, Toney said on Twitter that he was disappointed that he would not be able to play. He also said that the commission has not yet published the reasons for his suspension so he withheld further comment. Toney thanked his family and friends for supporting him, and Brentford FC’s fans who have helped get him through what had been a difficult period.

Written Reasons for Suspension Forthcoming

“I now focus on returning to play the game I love next season,” Toney promised. The ban would not impact his ability to train with his team too much. In the last four months of his penalty, Toney will actually be able to return and train with his team, preparing for the following season.

Meanwhile, Brentford FC has said that it would wait for the written reasons for Toney’s suspensions before the club decides what to do with one of its best players. Previously, Brentford FC manager Thomas Frank defended Toney.

Toney has outscored pretty much everyone else in the Premier League this season, except for Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s ace, and Harry Kane, one of England’s best-known faces of soccer.