Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo has been spared from a ban for the time being as his stakes have been deemed “small” and “unsophisticated”.
The Englishman also lost money in the process and some of his bets were said to be about 25 pence.
However, according to an FA report, they reveal that Toffolo’s motive for gambling was as a result of his treatment at Norwich City.
Harry Toffolo had the aspiration to “fit in” amongst the senior players of the squad and that was why he opted for that route.
The 28-year-old reportedly then became “depressed” and suffered from “mental health issues”.
The former Huddersfield Town defender was handed a suspended five-month ban by the FA after he admitted 375 breaches of betting regulations.
However, the Football Association have been lenient with him, due to several factors like the amount of the stake, and others, as earlier revealed.
Harry Toffolo reportedly bet about £1,323.93, in total, which indicates that his average stake was £3.53.
Toffolo has been placing bets since he was at the age of 18, and he did gamble until he was 21 years old.
Reports show that he staked £100 on a single bet only once, and he lost a total of £367.70 to gambling.
The defender has not placed a bet on football since March 2017, when he was on loan at Scunthorpe United.
His ban has been suspended till the end of 2024/25, and Harry Toffolo has also been slammed with a fine of £20,956.
Why did The FA serve Harry Toffolo a ban?
The 28-year-old breached generic rules for footballers, which prohibits them from staking or passing on information that could be used for betting.
This act reportedly went on for about 375 times between January 2014 and March 2017.
Harry Toffolo was playing for championship club Norwich City at the time, and while at the club, he also had loan spells at teams like; Swindon, Rotherham, Peterborough, and Scunthorpe.
The FA report reads: “He suffered the twin disappointments of being told that he did not feature in the manager’s plans at Norwich, but that he could not go out on loan to gain experience.”
The FA reports revealed that Toffolo began betting, after perceiving that his future at Norwich City appeared bleak.
According to the FA, they also wrote that Toffolo claimed that if he did carry himself like the first-team players, he would have a better opportunity of becoming a footballer.
Additionally, the English FA accepted that Toffolo’s previous gambling practice could have been due to his mental health.
The concluding part of the statement reads: “By February 2016 the situation had become so bad that he considered his career in football to be over.”
Meanwhile, Harry Toffolo joined Nottingham Forest from Huddersfield Town on July 20, 2022, for a fee of €2.40 million.
He has made 22 appearances for the Tricky Trees, scoring no goal and providing 1 assist across all competitions.
