Ivan Toney has been removed by FIFA 23 in their latest squad update following his 8-month ban for breaching betting rules.
Recall we reported that Toney, 27, was recently banned from all football-related activity for eight months after pleading guilty to 232 of 262 charges leveled against him by the FA.
The fallout from the ban has seen the popular FIFA game exclude his name from their latest updates of the video game.
Ivan Toney appears to have been axed from the latest squad update from the game entirely.
FIFA players evidently noted his absence in Brentford’s team in the new update as they flocked social media to talk about the revelation.
Screenshots that were posted online showed that Toney was missing for the players that have updated their FIFA 23.
He was initially set for a 15 months ban but it was reduced to 8 months after he pleaded guilty to most of the charges.
Ivan Toney, who was diagnosed with gambling addiction, bet on his own side to lose 13 times between August 2017 and March 2018.
“I have spoken to him. He has recognized the punishment,” the England manager said.
“But what bothers me is that we have to look after people. He is injured and what does he do about getting fit?”
“We have to give him structure so he can develop himself and maybe become a better person over the period.”
“I don’t like the fact we should leave someone and not let them be part of the football community.”
Brentford also backed their striker – who has scored 20 goal this season – in a statement that was released last week.
The statement read: “The club will now be doing everything possible to provide support to Ivan and his family to deal with the issues raised in this case.”
“Conversations regarding this and all matters relating to the case will remain confidential in order to protect the player and his family.”
“We consider this matter closed and look forward to welcoming Ivan Toney back to training in September and seeing him representing Brentford in the Premier League in January.”
What Rules Did Ivan Toney Breach?
The Bees striker admitted that he has breached 232 FA betting rules over a period of 5 seasons from February 2017 and January 2021.
Toney was playing for Newcastle and Peterborough at that time and also spent time on loans at several clubs.
The 232 rules breached include:
- 126 bets were in respect of matches in competitions in which Toney’s club at that time participated in.
- Of those 126, 29 were in respect of the club Toney was playing for at the time.
- Of those 29, 16 were on his own team to win 15 different matches. Toney played in 11 of those matches.
- Of those 29, the remaining 13 were on Toney’s team to lose. Toney did not play in any of those matches.
- Of the 126 bets, 15 were placed on Toney to score. They were initiated at a time when it was not public knowledge that he was starting or playing in the relevant fixtures.
The regulatory commission that issued the ban also confirmed that Toney’s case was not one of match-fixing.
“There is no evidence that Mr Toney did or was even in a position to influence his own team to lose when he placed bets against them winning – he was not in the squad or eligible to play at the time.”
Ivan Toney was fined £50,000 and warned about his future conduct as part of his punishment with his ban starting immediately.
