Ivan Toney has been charged by the English Football Association for breaking betting laws 232 times.
Earlier this month, reports surfaced that the striker for Brentford, who was left off the England World Cup roster, was under investigation for betting related offences.
And the Football Association revealed on Wednesday night, November 16, that they had charged the 26-year-old for misbehavior “in respect to alleged breaches” of its betting policies.
The claims cover the time frame of 25 February 2017 to 23 January 2021. Toney participated for Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United, and Brentford during the said period.
Reports in England have it that the investigation has been ongoing for seven months and there is no evidence to imply that the former Newcastle forward placed bets against his own side.
Toney was selected for the final England team before the World Cup, but he was not utilized and has not yet played for the Three Lions.
Toney responded to Sportsmail’s first report about the betting allegation against him by posting a message on Twitter saying he is aware that he was under investigation.
He confirmed that he was ‘assisting the Football Association with their enquiries’. He added that he would ‘not be making any comment until such investigation has reached its conclusion’.
The FA declaration said: ‘Ivan Toney has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of the FA’s betting rules. It is alleged that the Brentford forward breached FA Rule E8 232 times between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. Ivan Toney has until 24 November to provide a response.’
Brentford added a brief remark of their own saying, ‘Brentford has been informed that Ivan Toney has been charged with breaches of FA Rule E8.’
‘The club has been in discussion with Ivan and his legal representatives about this matter and those conversations will continue privately.’
‘We will make no further comment until the matter has been completed.’
In 14 Premier League outings for his team this year, Toney has scored 10 goals.
The 26-year-old Toney has 10 Premier League goals this season but was not selected for the England 2022 World Cup team.
If they are confirmed, he might be subject to a protracted suspension. In December 2020, England defender Kieran Trippier received a 10-week suspension from the FA for providing information to enable others to wager on his transfer from Tottenham to Atletico Madrid.
Ivan Toney signed with Peterborough in August 2018 and then transferred to Brentford for £5 million in September 2020.
The attacker, whose career began at Northampton, has 58 goals to his name in 105 games for Brentford, including two in a shocking 2-1 victory over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in the final game before the World Cup break.
Only City forward Erling Haaland (18 goals) and England captain Harry Kane (12 goals) have more goals than Toney this season in the Premier League.
Toney gained his first England call-up for the Nations League matches in September against Germany and Italy, although he did not play in either match.
Ivan Toney
Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney, an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League team Brentford, was born on March 16, 1996.
When Toney made his first-team debut for Northampton Town in 2012, he was the team’s youngest player ever. Before joining Newcastle United in 2015, he scored 13 goals in 60 games across all competitions.
He spent two separate loan periods with Barnsley during his debut season at Newcastle, where they won the League One play-offs and the Football League Trophy.
He played for Shrewsbury Town, Scunthorpe United, and Wigan Athletic throughout the following two seasons while on loan in League One.
Toney paid an undisclosed sum to permanently join Peterborough United in 2018, and while there he was voted both League One’s top scorer and Player of the Season for the 2019–20 season.
He later joined Brentford, which was then playing in the EFL Championship, and his club’s promotion to the Premier League helped set a record with his record-breaking 31 goals scored during the 2020–21 season.
