Found to have broken betting rules, the English Football Association has decided to ban Brentford’s Ivan Toney for eight months. Also, the player will be charged ￡50,000 and warned for future conduct.

Ivan Toney’s 2022/23 season

When considering the most influential Premier League players in the 2022/23 season, Brentford’s Ivan Toney has to be among them. The forward is the third-highest scorer in the league, behind Erling Haaland and Harry Kane; with 20 goals.

Also, Toney got his first cap for the English national team after he debuted in March against Ukraine in the EURO 2024 qualifiers.

Still, Toney’s season finished prematurely after the FA suspended the player for eight months due to betting issues.

The player who spent most of his career in the lower ranks of English football emerged this season as one of the best players in the Premier League. Still, after being found guilty, Toney is not allowed to train until 17th September, nor play until 17th January 2024.

After the punishment, Ivan Toney published on his Instagram story that he was disappointed. He also thanked his family, friends, Brentford FC, and fans for their continued support.

This is not the first of this kind of suspension in English football. In 2017, the FA banned Joey Barton for 13 months for a similar violation.

Modern football and the betting paradox

While most adults can enjoy gambling without sanctions, the players are forbidden to bet. Still, we have to point out that football has very close ties with the gambling industry. Multiple Premier League clubs, including Brentford, are sponsored by betting companies.

The Premier League has agreed to ban gambling sponsors from the front of shirts but only from the 2026-27 season. Until then, seeing players advertise something they cannot participate in will be quite a paradox. Still, the players are seen as role models for the kids, so they have more responsibility than most people.

Most of Toney’s 232 breaches of FA betting rules were made before the player joined Brentford, so the club decided not to punish him further. Actually, Brentford are considering appealing after they get the reasons for punishment in writing.

What to expect from Toney in the future?

The suspension is a big blow for Ivan Toney but also for Brentford, who will probably sell the player to the top club this summer. In the last couple of weeks, there have been reports that Brentford will ask for about 100 million euros for the player.

Market value during the career

After suspension, it is more realistic for Toney to sign a new contract with Brentford and hope for a good second half of the 2023/24 season.

Ivan Tony stats for the 4 previous seasons

If he returns as the best version of himself, Ivan Toney could again find his name on the top teams’ shortlists.