Ivan Toney suspended from football and all football activity for eight months

The Brentford striker is given an eight-month suspension for betting violations.

UK's London Ivan Toney, the outstanding striker for Brentford, has recently been given an immediate eight-month suspension by the league's governing body, the Football Association (FA). Toney admitted to breaking the FA's betting regulations 232 times, which led to the punishment.

Toney has been fined £50,000 for his violations and is now forbidden from participating in any football-related activity.

Understanding the Football Betting Rules

Football betting is prohibited for all players, managers, coaches, club staff, directors, and licensed agents across a number of competitions, including the Premier League, EFL, National League, Women's Super League, Women's Championship, and the Northern, Southern, and Isthmian leagues.

Individuals in these categories are explicitly forbidden by this restriction from placing direct or indirect bets on any international football events or competitions.

The rules cover more than just match betting; they also apply to decisions about teams, managers, and players in other football-related areas.

Furthermore, it is completely prohibited to divulge non-public information, sometimes known as inside knowledge, for the purpose of gambling. This includes news about unreported injuries or team roster changes.

It is highly forbidden to use insider knowledge to place bets or to give advice to others to do so. The laws also prohibit disclosing confidential information to third parties for betting purposes.

The FA released a statement to confirm the news on Wednesday afternoon.

It reads: "Ivan Toney 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."

Back in November, after it was claimed that he had been gambling on football games, England international Toney issued a statement indicating he was helping the governing body with its probe.

The world of football is shocked after one of the best stars from English football is indulging in activities that are prohibited for such reputed athletes.