Ivan Toney has spoken out for the first time about his eight-month suspension for betting offenses.
“In a CEO podcast diary, Tony said he started to get a little excited about gambling at the age of 15, and the more he earned, the higher the stakes,” the UK’s Evening Standard reported on Nov. 21.
The English national made his professional debut with Northampton Town (English fourth division). He spent three seasons there before moving to Newcastle United, where he failed to make an impact. It was only after his move to Peterborough that he showed his potential. There, he exploded onto the scene with 40 goals in two seasons.
This earned him a new home at Brentford in the summer of 2020. He was brought in to replace Ollie Watkins (→Aston Villa) with high expectations. He was a goalscoring monster in the second tier. Brentford were in the EFL Championship (second tier) at the time, and Tony broke the EFL’s all-time goals record with 33 goals and 10 assists, winning the EFL Player of the Year award along with the Golden Boot. He also led the team to its first promotion in 74 years.
It worked on the English Premier League (EPL) stage, too. In his first EPL campaign, Tony scored 12 goals and provided five assists, helping the team stay up. Last season was even better. He scored 20 goals in 33 EPL games, finishing the season as the third highest scorer behind Elling Holland (36) and Harry Kane (30).
However, he was suspended for eight months for violating the FA’s betting rules. Tosun was charged with 263 alleged betting offenses (30 of which were later withdrawn) between February 25, 2017 and January 23, 2021. Brentford said on the club’s website in May: “The club wishes to inform Tony of the independent regulatory committee’s decision to impose an eight-month suspension from all football and football-related activities with immediate effect. Tony has been charged with a breach of English Football Association (FA) Regulation E8.”
The BBC said: “Tony has been banned from football for eight months for breaking the FA’s betting rules. He was fined £50,000 and given a warning for 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules,” said the BBC.
“Tony’s suspension begins immediately. However, he will be allowed to return to training with Brentford on September 17, four months before the end of his suspension. He will be banned from playing until January 17, 2024.”
Toney responded to the ruling on his personal social media, saying: “I am disappointed with the ruling. Will not comment further until the Independent Regulatory Commission issues written reasons. I will focus on getting back on the field.” 먹튀검증
However, three months after the ruling, Tony was more specific: “The impact of betting is waiting for payday. I thought I had paid for everything I needed to use, and I had this much to play with. In my head, I thought, ‘My money is my money, and I can spend it however I want,'” explaining why he gambled.