Ivan Toney suspended by the FA

Brentford striker Ivan Toney was suspended for eight months by the English Football Association (FA) Wednesday for violating its gambling policy.

The suspension “runs up to and including 16 January 2024,” and Toney was also “fined ￡50,000 ($62,415) and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules,” per an FA announcement.

charged with 262 breaches of the gambling rules between February 2017 and January 2021

Toney, 27, has been the subject of an ongoing investigation that started in 2022. He was charged with 262 breaches of the gambling rules between February 2017 and January 2021, but later had 30 of them expunged. He confessed to the remaining 232 offenses.

Toney was having a great season, scoring 21 times including 20 league goals, and providing five assists for a total of 26 goal contributions in 25 matches across all competitions. His club, Brentford, which is in its second straight year in the top flight of English Soccer following a 74-year absence, is ninth in the English Premier League table and four points off of European qualification with two games to go.

Toney already missed out on an England call-up for the World Cup in November with the uncertainty of his future hanging over his head. He has also recently been linked with high-profile moves to English clubs Manchester United and Chelsea, among others, but those are also now hanging in the balance.