Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney has been banned from football for eight months and fined 50,000 pounds (NZ$99,000), after admitting to 232 breaches of the English Football Association's (FA) betting rules.
Toney cannot play for club or country until January 16, 2024, and he has been warned about his future conduct. The sanctions were imposed by an independent regulatory commission, after a personal hearing.
The 27-year-old was charged by the FA in November for allegedly breaching the rules 232 times between 2017-21. He was charged with 30 more alleged breaches in December.
"The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232," the governing body said.
"The independent regulatory commission's written reasons for these sanctions will be published in due course and the FA will wait to review them before commenting further."
Toney can return to training for the final four months of his suspension, starting September 17, 2023.
"Brentford FC is currently awaiting the publication of the written reasons of the independent regulatory commission," the English Premier League club said. "We will review them before considering our next steps."
Toney has scored 20 goals in 33 league games for Brentford this season, helping them to ninth in the league standings. He will miss Saturday's trip to Tottenham Hotspur and the final game of the season at home to leaders Manchester City on May 28.
Reuters
