Brentford striker Tony banned 8 months for violating betting rules

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football-related activities for eight months for breaching betting rules, the Football Association said Wednesday.

Tony was convicted by the local football association last November of 262 alleged offenses over a four-year period and suspended with “immediate effect”.

The 27-year-old international striker was suspended until mid-January and fined 50,000 pounds ($62,000) after he admitted 232 offenses.

“Evan Toney has been suspended from football and all football-related activities with immediate effect for a period of eight months which runs until 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned about his future conduct for breaching the FA’s betting rules,” the FA said in a statement.

He continued, “The Brentford striker was charged with 262 breaches of FA law in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these violations and (Tony) admitted the remaining 232.”

An independent organizing committee also imposed sanctions on the attacker, who will not be allowed to train with his teammates until September 17.

Through his official Instagram account, the English striker hinted that he was considering accepting the penalty.

“I am disappointed that I will not be able to play for the next eight months,” he wrote.

He added, “The written reasons for the ruling issued by the committee have not yet been published, so I will not comment further at this stage (…) I am now focusing on my return to playing this sport that I love next season.”

For his part, Brentford said in a press release that he was waiting for the written reasons for the ruling before “taking a decision on the next steps.”

Tony, who wore the “Three Lions” shirt once against Ukraine in March, scored 21 goals in 35 matches with Brentford this season, including 20 in 30 Premier League games, to finish third in the scorers’ ranking.

His absence will be a strong blow to the team, after he played a major role in Brentford’s rise to ninth place in the Premier League, two rounds before the end.

In 2020, international full-back Kieran Trippier was suspended for ten weeks after four violations he had long contested in connection with his move to Spain’s Atletico Madrid.

And in 2018, former Liverpool international striker Daniel Sturridge was suspended for four months after sending information about a possible transfer in 2018 to his relatives.