Ivan Toney breaks his silence after receiving eight-month football ban

Brentford striker Ivan Toney was handed an eight-month ban after being found guilty of breaching betting regulations by the English FA.

The Football Association found the player guilty of 262 charges, with the player accepting 232 of them. Toney will not be allowed to train with Brentford until September and banned from professional football until January 2024.

Upon hearing the verdict, Toney took to Instagram to express his disappointment.

"Today I have received notification of my eight-month ban from football following a hearing before an FA Regulatory Commission that took place yesterday. I am naturally disappointed that I will be unable to play for the next eight months," he wrote.

He continued:

"The written reasons for the Commission's decision have not yet been published, so I make no further comment at this point other than to thank my family and friends, Brentford FC and our fans for their continued support, through what has been a very difficult time. I now focus on returning to play the game I love next season."

He has also reportedly been fined £50,000 for his actions.

The 27-year-old striker was in fine form this season. He has scored 20 goals in 33 Premier League games for Brentford this campaign and recently earned his England call-up as well.Overall, the English striker has registered 21 goals and five assists in 35 games for the Bees this season.

With the striker's suspension coming into effect immediately, it means that he will no longer play a role in the rest of the campaign for Brentford. The Bees are currently ninth in the league table and have an outside chance of landing the last European spot.

The FA released a statement on Wednesday, confirming Toney's immediate suspension.Their statement read:

"Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of The FA's Betting Rules.

"The Brentford FC forward was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232.

"His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing. He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from 17 September 2023.

"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."

Ivan Toney's current contract at Brentford runs until the summer of 2025.