On November 17, 2022, the English Football Association (FA) announced that Brentford striker Ivan Toney had been charged with 232 counts of breaching the federation’s betting rules.
Earlier last week, the FA issued another statement revealing the English forward has been charged with an additional 30 breaches, bringing the total number of charges to 262.
The announcement of these unprecedented charges against Toney came shortly before the Qatar World Cup, leading some fans to speculate these allegations were culpable for his omission from England’s World Cup squad.
Despite the allegations, to the surprise of many, Toney played and found the back of the net in Brentford’s clash against rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.
Hence here on Main Stand with Agastya Bajaj, we will examine Ivan Toney’s betting allegations, explore potential punishments including a permanent ban and review previous betting incidents in the top flight of English football.
Rule E8 breach examined
As aforementioned, Ivan Toney has been charged with 262 breaches of FA rule E8. These charges have taken place during a four-year period between February 2017 and January 2021.
What is Rule E8? Rule E8 is a section of the FA’s lawbook which solely covers betting and gambling.
“A participant shall not bet, either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause of enable any person to bet on the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in or in connection with, a match or competition in which the participant is participating, or has participated in that season, or in which the participant has any influence, either indirect or direct.”
In simpler terms, this rule prohibits individuals involved in professional English football from betting on competitions they have influence over. This includes players, coaches, referees and staff.
Additionally, the FA prohibits these “participants” from betting over “any other matter concerning or related to football anywhere in the world, including, for example, and without limitation, the transfer of players, employment of managers, team selection or disciplinary matters.”
This rule has been enforced to preserve the integrity of English football.
Violations of this law will result in punishments ranging from disciplinary action, fines, suspension and permanent bans, with more severe punishments generally given to participants who “directly” alter and influence the outcome of events.
However, the FA also states, “an attempt by a Participant or any agreement with any other person (whether or not a Participant) to act in breach of any provision contained in these Rules shall be treated for the purposes of these Rules as if a breach of the relevant provisions had been committed.”
As of now, it is specifically unclear how Toney has breached these regulations.
Some fans speculate Toney may have influenced and bet on the outcomes of his matches.
Several have cited unorthodox handballs and bookings during his spell at Peterborough, which occurred during this alleged breach period.
On the contrary, according to the Daily Mail, Toney has not directly altered the outcome of any sporting endeavors he has influence over.
The FA has been investigating Toney for over eight months over historical gambling offenses and has given him until January 4, 2023, to respond to these claims.
A report resulting from the investigation into Toney’s gambling breaches is reportedly over 2,800 pages long, according to Sports Mail.
It is presumed that Toney’s punishments will be determined by the number of bets, the amount he has staked and the type of bet made.
If Toney has regularly altered the outcome of his matches and directly match fixed, he will receive a permanent suspension.
However, if Toney has not severely influenced and altered the outcome of in-game situations, he may escape a permanent ban but still be subject to a lengthy one.
Footballers and gambling
There have been several examples of betting violations in the top flight of English football, with the most high-profile and well-known case involving English superstar right-back Kieran Tripper.
The full-back was charged with a breach of this same rule, E8 of the FA handbook, in October 2020.
Trippier initially denied these charges, but after a hearing and investigation, he was found guilty of misconduct for encouraging a friend to bet on his transfer to Atletico Madrid the previous summer.
The player was eventually fined £70,000 and suspended for ten weeks, missing a plethora of matches for both Atletico Madrid and England during this period.
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was also banned for four months and fined £150,000 in 2020, after providing a peer inside information on his potential next transfer to Trabzonspor.
"I'm going to continue to campaign for professional footballers to be able to speak to their families and close friends freely, without the real risk of being charged,” said Sturridge.
“I feel the betting companies and the practice and process of people placing bets on players moving clubs has to be stopped.”
This ban from violating rule E8 was liable for Trabzonspor to terminate his contract.
What’s next for Toney?
Given the FA’s strict stance on breaches of this rule and Toney reportedly betting on matches, it seems likely that Toney will receive a longer ban than Sturridge and Trippier did, regardless of whether he altered the outcome of his matches.
A six-month suspension is one of the likelier outcomes for Toney. Some lower-league professional players charged with over 1200 cases of betting on other matches have received bans ranging from six months to several years.
One of the more unprecedented and severe cases of violating FA Rule E8 occurred earlier this year involving Stratford defender Kynan Isaac.
The now former Stratford full-back was charged with breaching the rule after spot-fixing and placing bets on an FA Cup tie he played in.
Isaac was accused of betting for himself to get booked, in addition to a host of other offenses, resulting in a 10-year ban.
If Toney is found to have seriously manipulated the outcome of his matches and violated FA rule E8, he could receive a several-year or even a permanent ban similar to Isaac’s case.
If the case is less severe and Toney has bet on matches he was not directly involved in, he will still receive a fine and ban, but to a lesser degree that could still keep him out for at least the remainder of the season.
Regardless, football fans should await confirmation sometime next week, with Toney’s availability at least for the remainder of this season looking quite bleak.
Sources:
https://www.thefa.com › files › individual-sections
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/ivan-toney-betting-details-fa-rules-possible-ban/kymvqjpnt4sw5cibmc3xuxos
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11559107/Brentford-striker-Ivan-Toney-charged-FA-breaking-betting-rules.html
