Ivan Toney is facing an eight-month ban for breaking betting rules but Brentford boss Thomas Frank confirms the club is behind him.
The Brentford boss says that the striker’s future still remains at the club and they “will do everything to be there for him.”
Ivan Toney, who is 27 years old, will not be allowed to play any form of football for the Bees again until 17 January 2024.
Thomas Frank speaking about Toney, said: “I’ve been in contact with him. He’s disappointed and sad about the situation.”
“His future is with Brentford, there’s no doubt about that.”
The Englishman can return to training with Brentford four months before the ban elapses.
Frank also added: “We are waiting for the information so we know what we can do. What he’s allowed to do, especially for the first four months.”
“One thing is for sure, we will do everything to be there for him, support him and be aware of the mental health in it.”
“He’s made some mistakes, but we need to be there, and want to be there, for him and help him. We just need to know what we are allowed to do.”
Thomas Frank also confirmed that just like Ivan Toney, he was also waiting for the independent Regulatory Commission to publish its written reasons for the verdict before he speaks about the specifics of the case.
However, the Bee’s manager did say “in general” gambling was a problem in football “we need to be aware of in society”, even though he manages a Brentford that is sponsored by a betting company.
The manager also added: “It is a challenge, for me personally, all the advertising for gambling done by clubs [and] individuals in the game – I think that’s an issue, for me.”
“I don’t know the full details of how much support or education the authorities provide. I know the Premier League and FA have a lot of initiatives in place that try to educate people out there.”
“Education is the key thing. Across the world, education is the number one thing if you want to change a culture and mindset. That takes a lot of hard work and patience.”
“We need to be aware of the mental health in this,” Thomas Frank continued.
“Ivan is a footballer but he is also a human being that has family, a partner, young children, a mum and dad, siblings and friends and he has been on the front pages quite a lot.”
“We need to do whatever to support him in that aspect.”
“Now it’s done, he [Toney] has got a very good mindset of, ‘OK, it is what it is and then move forward’,” Frank concluded.
Ivan Toney And Betting Rules
Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney is an English footballer who was born on 16 March 1996 and plays as a striker for Brentford and the England national team.
The breaches Ivan Toney was found guilty of took place between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021.
This was during the time the Englishman played for Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United, and Brentford.
The striker netted 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances this season before he was banned from all footballing activities.
Moreso, Thomas Frank did confirm that a possible hamstring injury has ruled the striker out of Brentford’s last two matches of the season against Tottenham and Manchester City, aside from the ban.
