Brentford's Toney banned for eight months over betting breaches

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been banned from all football-related activity for eight months over breaches of betting rules.

Toney, who was charged by the Football Association in November with 262 alleged breaches over a four-year period, has been suspended with "immediate effect".

The 27-year-old England international is banned until mid-January and has been fined £50,000 ($62,000) after he admitted to 232 of the breaches.

"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," an FA statement said on Wednesday.

"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."

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An independent regulatory commission imposed the sanctions on the player, who will not be allowed to train with his team-mates until September 17.

Toney, capped once by England, against Ukraine in March, has scored 21 goals in 35 appearances for Brentford this season.

His absence will be a huge blow for the team after his goals played a key role in their rise to ninth place in the Premier League heading into the last two games of the season.