Over a four-year period, the 26-year-old is accused of breaching gambling rules from 2017, when he was on Newcastle’s books, to 2021 after he joined his current club from Peterborough. Last week, he admitted he was assisting the FA in its investigation into historic rule breaches and now has until Thursday, November 24, to respond to the association. “Ivan Toney has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of the FA’s betting rules,” the FA said. “The Brentford forward is alleged to have breached FA rule E8 232 times between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021.” The rules state that players are “prohibited from betting, directly or indirectly, on any football match or competition held anywhere in the world”. Any player found guilty of breaking the FA’s strict betting rules could face “financial penalties, suspensions and, in some cases, a lifetime ban”. Toney was seen as England’s hope for the World Cup in Qatar after being called up for the recent Nations League matches but was not selected by manager Gareth Southgate to make the squad. He began his professional career with hometown club Northampton and, during a three-year spell at Newcastle, had loan spells with Barnsley, Shrewsbury, Scunthorpe and Wigan before making a permanent move to Peterborough in August 2018. He joined Brentford in a £5m switch two years later and scored 33 goals as they won promotion to the Premier League in his first season. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:06 Southgate names England squad “I’m a proud Englishman” When news of the FA’s investigation broke last week, Toney tweeted: “I have assisted the FA with their investigations and will not be commenting until they are concluded. “I am a proud Englishman and it has always been my childhood dream to play for my country in a World Cup final.” Read more: Three Lions in four charts ‘England must take risks’ – Redknapp Is Southgate’s last tournament? So far this season, Toney has scored 11 goals, including both in Brentford’s shock 2-1 win at Manchester City. His team said they are aware of the allegations and have “spoken” with Toney’s legal representatives. “These talks will continue in private,” she said in a statement, adding that no further comment would be made until the case was concluded.
