Ivan Toney has spoken out following his eight-month ban for breaching betting rules, criticising the FA for their handling of his case.
The Brentford striker was handed the ban in May, having been found guilty of 232 breaches, alongside a £50,000 fine for breaking FA's betting rules. The breaches dated back to 2017, with the first occurring when he was on loan at Scunthorpe from Newcastle United.
The charges were first reported in November, with the 27-year-old claiming that this cost him his place in England's World Cup squad, which was announced that month. Toney, who scored 20 Premier League goals in 33 games this season, was speaking for the first time following his ban, revealing his frustration at the 'spiteful' nature of proceedings.
Speaking to Kick Game UK, Toney said: “In a way it’s like get it out now so you don’t go England and then all of a sudden they want to wait until the end of the season to do the kind of things but listen it is what it is.
“If they want to do it that way, I call it a bit spiteful but it is what it is and you just have to get on with it.
“The biggest punishment, even though I miss eight months of football, that was the biggest punishment to miss out on a World Cup — everyone’s dream — it is bigger than missing eight months of football. I believe in myself and hopefully I will be at the next one.”
At the time, England manager Gareth Southgate insisted that Toney's non-selection for his 26-man World Cup squad was not due to the investigation. The Three Lions boss has since backed the player, with the selection of Toney for Euro qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine in March.
Speaking in May as he named his squad for the next set of Euro qualifiers in June, Southgate said: “I have spoken with him. I don’t know if that’s allowed, by the way. If it isn’t then they can ban me and not add to his. Look, the ban is the ban. It is what it is. I think he recognised and accepted the punishment. What bothers me is we’ve got to look after people.
“He’s injured at the moment, what does he do about getting fit? How do we give him some structure over the next few months so that he can develop himself or be a better person at the end of it or have experiences that he might not experience?
“I don’t like the idea that we just leave somebody so they are not allowed to be a part of the football community. I don’t think that’s how we should work, I don’t think that’s how the best rehabilitation programmes would work.”
Toney continued in his interview, adding his views on football's relationship with the industry, with eight of this season's Premier League clubs sponsored by gambling companies. Clubs have agreed to stop sponsorship by gambling companies from the beginning of the 2026/27 season.
He added: “A majority of football teams now are sponsored by gambling companies so it’s kind of like weigh it up.
“If that’s the rules that you shouldn’t be betting then yeah you shouldn’t be betting but for people that need help there should be more around to stop them from leading to that direction or whatever. When the time is right I will speak out on the majority of things and clear up things that need to be cleared up.”
