Ivan Toney breaks his silence after being handed an eight-month ban for betting shame

IVAN TONEY has broken his silence after news broke of his eight-month ban.

The 27-year-old Brentford striker was handed the aggravated ban after admitting 232 allegations and was fined £50,000 for breaching the FA Betting Rules.

1

And the immediate suspension will put him out of action until January 2024 – and won’t even be able to train until mid-September.

The striker, who made his England debut this year, was delighted social media speak on Wednesday evening.

Toney said: “Today I received the notification of my eight-month football suspension following a hearing before an FA regulatory committee yesterday.”

“Obviously I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to play for the next eight months.

“The written reasons for the Commission’s decision have not yet been made public, so I have no further comment at this point other than to thank my family and friends, Brentford FC and our fans for their continued support at this very difficult time. ” .

“My focus now is on getting back to playing the game I love next season.”

Brentford added that they will “review” the written reasons before “considering our next steps”.

The decision ruined Toney’s year just two months after he bowed out as a late replacement for captain Harry Kane in the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 qualifier win over Ukraine.

Toney, 27, who is the Prem’s third-highest scorer this season with 20 goals and is behind only Erling Haaland and Kane in the goals list, was certain to be included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for next month’s qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia is appointed.

However, he is now ineligible for selection and will not be allowed to play for his country until March.

Toney’s allegations covered a four-year period between February 2017 and January 2021, when the forward played for Scunthorpe and Wigan – on loan from Newcastle – and subsequently for Peterborough and the Bees.

There was never any indication that he placed bets on games in which he was involved.

Toney appeared before an independent FA Disciplinary Committee yesterday to ward off his impending suspension – which will surely rule him out of a costly move in the summer.

Chelsea have been linked in the summer with a bid for Brentford’s talisman, who is currently making around £20,000 a week.

He will serve out his ban for Saturday’s game against Tottenham and will also miss the final day against Manchester City.

And Arsenal fans were furious that the suspension was handed down just before the game against City – even if the title race may already be over in the last game of the season.