Ivan Toney bet several times on the defeat of his own team and was diagnosed with addiction

Ivan Tonyplayer of Brentfordhas been suspended since English Football Association (FA) over the past week after violating the code of conduct that bans athletes from betting 232 times between February 25, 2017 and January 23, 2021 – five seasons. On Friday, the body released the decision of an independent regulatory commission on the case, in which it indicates that the forward bet 13 times that his club would lose.

Of the 232 bets Toney admitted to having taken place, 126 were in competitions Toney’s club entered that season, such as the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. Of these, 29 were directed to the club to which the striker had been signed or loaned out at the time. OR Stadium had access to the document, which can be consulted on the FA website.

Of 29 bets on the outcome of the match, in 16 Toney bet his team would win. He played in 11 of those games and was on the bench one other time. The most sensational case are the 13 remaining bets, in which the attacker hoped his team would lose.

According to the report, Toney made 11 bets on Newcastle matches between 2017 and 2018, when he was still linked to the club, but was loaned out to Wigan. Two other bets, totaling the 13 that the striker was found guilty, took place in the Wigan x Aston Villa duel, in 2017, for the second division of the English championship. The match ended in victory for the guests, a result that favored the attacker in the bet. Toney was out of this game.

There are still 21 other bets, made by Toney, for himself or other players to score goals in the matches in question. According to the FA, these, added to the 29 duel results, were considered the most serious throughout the investigation.

“The present case does not involve match-fixing. If he had, the charges would have been pursued under different provisions. There is no evidence that Mr. Toney did or was able to influence his own team to lose when he bet against them winning – he was not in the squad or eligible to play at the time, as explained”.

In Toney’s statements to the FA, he admitted to using third-party accounts to place bets on internet platforms. However, he says he was unaware of the ban until 2018, when he defended Peterborough. “You (FAN) I came to Peterborough when I was there to say that we can’t bet on football” the striker said.

“I remember watching a video and at that moment (in Brentford)Toney also admitted that he lied during the investigation. In October 2022, he said he had never placed bets on football matches.

gambling addiction

During the trial, the FA even considered that Toney should be suspended for at least 12 months. One of the points under consideration for the reduction of his sentence, currently on an eight-month suspension and a fine of 50,000 pounds (about R$ 308,000), was the fact that Toney was diagnosed with a compulsive gambling addiction.

Philip Hopley, a doctor and consultant psychiatrist, has been heard by the FA and has spoken to Toney on two occasions in recent months. In conclusion, he stated that the player has a history of gambling addiction and it is necessary for the abuser to seek professional help to start treatment. According to the manifesto, Toney is willing to ask for assistance. The report of Stadium I’ve tried contacting Hopley, but still no response.

Gambling addiction is already considered a public health problem in the UK, negatively impacting sport. Premier League clubs recently agreed to remove any mention of bookmakers from their kits from the 2026/2027 season.

James Grimes, 33, is the founder of The big step, the aim of which is to promote debates for the end of bookmaker sponsorship in English football. The action already has the backing of 30 English football clubs. To the Stadiumrevealed that he experienced similar personal drama as Toney with gambling addiction.

“This should (the sport) be a place that gives health, that strengthens the community, that gives safety, that gives fun. It shouldn’t be used to promote something that we know destroys all that stuff,” he says. Last season in the Premier League, 19 clubs had a bookmaker deal. Eight of these, including Brentford, have stamped their central sponsorship brand on the split.

Demonstration by Toney and Brentford

Ivan Toney and Brentford spoke on Friday after the FA’s decision was made public. Both accepted the punishment. Through his social networks, the player limited himself to specifying that he “will speak soon, without filters”. The club, on the other hand, has been defensive of its athlete, citing that, according to the analysis, Toney had no impact on any of the events he has bet on and hopes to have the player back in the squad eventually of the suspension.

Toney will be able to return to training with Brentford for the final four months of his suspension, which expires on 16 January 2024. He is not the first star player to be penalized for breaking the rules of the game. In 2017, former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton was banned for 18 months after he admitted placing 1,260 football-related bets over a period of more than ten years.

This season, Toney has played 36 games for the England team, with 21 goals and five assists. He was also called up by the England national team for the Euro Cup qualifiers in March.

Read Brentford’s full statement below:

Ivan and Brentford accept that crimes were committed and that penalties were inevitable.

The commission noted that none of the allegations related to events in which Ivan could have negatively impacted his own team. The detail is contained in the written motivations.

The document reads: ‘The present case is not one of match-fixing. If that were the case, the charges would have been pursued under different provisions. There is no evidence that Mr. Toney did or even was able to influence his own team to lose when he bet against them to win: he wasn’t on the team or wasn’t eligible to play at the time.’

The document continues: ‘The commission believes that a significant reduction should be made to reflect the gambling addiction diagnosis identified by the [psiquiatra] Dr. [Philip] Hopley. The player’s lack of control over gambling is clearly a reflection of their gambling addiction diagnosis.

The club will now do everything possible to support Ivan and his family in addressing the issues raised in this case. Conversations about this and all matters relating to the case will remain confidential to protect the player and his family.

We consider this matter closed and look forward to welcoming Ivan back to training in September and seeing him represent Brentford in the Premier League in January.