Ivan Toney: how long will Brentford striker be banned for? Premier League matches and betting rules explained

Ivan Toney is set to receive a lengthy ban after he pled guilty to multiple charges of breaching the Football Association’s betting rules. The forward is expected to contest some of the charges at an FA disciplinary.

The Brentford striker was first charged in November with 232 breaches between February 2017 and January 2021. He was then charged a further 30 times the following month, taking the total to 262 charges. The alleged breaches stretch from when he was on loan at Scunthorpe United from Newcastle United to his current club.

The investigation into Toney was publicised less than a week before Gareth Southgate announced his 26-man England squad for the 2022 World Cup. Fans had urged the Three Lions boss to hand Toney a call-up to the tournament, though it is unclear whether Southgate would have named him in his squad if the alleged betting breaches hadn’t come to light. The former Newcastle United star is yet to make his senior debut for England, despite netting 26 goals in Brentford’s first two seasons in the Premier League.

With Toney establishing himself as one of the best forwards in the top flight this season as Brentford sit only four points from the top six, the 26-year-old’s absence could prove to be a real problem for Thomas Frank’s side. With Toney pleading guilty to some of the charges, it looks like the club will be resigned to his inevitable ban.

Here is everything we know...

How long will Ivan Toney be banned for?

Ivan Toney is expected to receive a lengthy ban after admitting to a majority of the betting charges and it could be implemented before the end of the season. Reports claim he could face up to six months out of action, meaning Brentford could be without him until next season - missing matches against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Depending on how quickly the ban is implemented, he may also miss out on England’s EURO Qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine later this month, as well as matches against Malta and North Macedonia in June.

In 2017, Joey Barton was initially banned for 18 months, however he had admitted to placing a whopping 1260 bets between 2006 and 2013. In 2021, two Boston United players Andi Thanoj and Jay Rollins were found guilty of placing 757 bets between them and were banned for five months.

FA betting rules explained

Ivan Toney was charged with breaching the FA’s rule E8, which bans players from betting on games, asking others to do so on their behalf or sharing privileged information for betting purposes. This is because players can have a huge influence on the outcome of matches given their relationships with footballers and clubs - including their own.

Kieran Trippier is another player that received a ban for breaching the rule, however he didn’t directly place bets himself. The Newcastle United defender, then with Atletico Madrid, had passed on information to his friends on his transfer to the Spanish club and they then placed bets on it. Trippier was banned for 10 weeks and fined £70,000.