Toney Charged Over Betting Breaches
Premier League footballer Ivan Toney has been charged by the FA over an alleged 232 breaches of betting rules. If proven, the allegations could have severe repercussions for Toney’s career, including a hefty fine and a temporary ban on playing. Despite being one of this season’s top scorers, Toney has been left out of England’s World Cup squad.
Toney had hoped to be selected for this year’s World Cup squad, but those hopes were dashed when Callum Wilson was chosen instead. ©Zac Frith/Pexels
Potential Ban
Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been charged by the Football Association over an alleged 232 breaches of betting rules. The World Cup hopeful has been charged by the FA, after it concluded an investigation into betting activity spanning almost four years.
The alleged breaches took place between February 25th 2017 and January 23rd 2021. Brentford FC published a brief statement on the matter, but declined to comment until the matter has been completed. The club said that it has been in discussions with Toney and his legal representatives, and that those conversations will continue privately.
If the allegations are proven, Toney could face a lengthy ban. In 2020, England defender Kieran Trippier was banned for ten weeks and fined £70,000 after the FA found that he had given out a betting tip to others on a transfer from Tottenham to Atletico Madrid. Trippier appealed to reduce the ban, as he had not financially benefitted from this action. However, the appeal was rejected.
In 2019, former England striker Daniel Sturridge was fined £150,000 and banned from football for six weeks after sharing private information with his brother on a possible transfer to Sevilla. Following a failed appeal, the ban was extended to four months. In 2017, manager Joey Barton received a five-month ban and a £30,000 fine after admitting to 1,260 football-related bets over ten years.
Toney has until November 24th to respond to the charges, which accuse him of breaching FA rule E8. This rule bans players from betting on games, or sharing privileged information for betting purposes. At the time that the allegations were first reported, earlier this month, Toney said that he was assisting the FA with their enquiries.
Over the four years which have come under scrutiny, Toney played for four different clubs. These were Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United and Brentford FC. Between 2015 and 2018, the footballer was on the books at Newcastle United. However, he spent the majority of that period out on loan.
World Cup Hopes Dashed
Toney played for Scunthorpe in both the 2016-17 season and from January to May 2018, and Wigan in between. The Northampton-born striker signed with Peterborough in August 2018, and later transferred to his current position at Brentford in September 2020, as part of a £5 million deal.
26-year-old Toney has scored 58 goals during 105 appearances for Brentford. Most notably, he scored both goals in a 2-1 defeat against defending Premier League champions Manchester City in the last game before the World Cup. He has scored ten Premier League goals this season, but missed out on a place in the England World Cup squad.
Only captain of the England squad Harry Kane and Man City forward Erling Haaland have scored more Premier League goals this season, with twelve and eighteen respectively. Toney was called up for England in September’s Nations League games against Italy and Germany, but did not play.
The looming ban comes as major blow for the striker, who has been on top form for his club and had hoped to be picked for England’s 26-man World Cup team in Qatar. The England squad was named less than five days after the news emerged that Toney was under investigation for betting rule breaches.
Manager Gareth Southgate downplayed the idea that the allegations had influenced his decision to choose Callum Wilson over Toney. Speaking about the matter, Southgate said that September had been a good opportunity to look at Ivan on the training pitch and to learn more about him and his style of play.
The manager added that it had been discussed with Toney that involving him in a World Cup was a long shot this time around. Southgate also defended his choice of Wilson, saying that he is in a “really rich vein of form” and that he has been on the pitch more and is known a little bit better.
Ronaldo Fined and Suspended
The news of Toney’s looming ban came shortly before the FA took action against one of the world’s most famous footballers. Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended from playing for two matches and fined £50,000 after slapping a phone out of a boy’s hand after a match earlier this year.
He admitted to engaging in improper conduct after a Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton on April 9th. Everton beat Ronaldo’s side 1-0 at their home ground, Goodison Park. After the final whistle was blown, Ronaldo was filmed as he was leaving the field.
Footage showed the player batting teenage spectator Jake Harding’s phone out of his hand, which landed on the floor. According to the young fan’s mother, her son was left in shock and bruised by the incident. Harding claimed that the footballer hit his hand very hard.
Ronaldo paid the teenager £200 for the damage to the phone, which was smashed. He also apologized for the incident and invited the fan to a match at Old Trafford. The ban will apply to any new club that Ronaldo joins, but not to the World Cup. Ronaldo will captain Portugal in their opening Group H game against Ghana.
The Portuguese star was asked to leave Manchester United with immediate effect earlier this week, after criticizing the club in an interview with Piers Morgan. Both parties stated that his exit was mutually agreed. In the controversial interview, Ronaldo said that he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
At the time of his departure, Ronaldo had over seven months left on his £500,000-a-week contract with Manchester United. He is free to sign with another club, including those in the Premier League, when the transfer window reopens in January.
