Ivan Toney set for lengthy ban after pleading guilty to ‘many’ charges

Ivan Toney looks set to begin a ‘lengthy ban’ before the end of the current season after he reportedly pleaded guilty to ‘many’ of the 262 alleged breaches of the Football Association’s gambling rules. Brentford have now been left sweating on the availability of their talismanic frontman, who has been integral to their stunning campaign this season after netting 14 Premier League goals in 21 outings in west London.

But Bees boss Thomas Frank is now being forced to prepare for life without Toney as the FA prepare to come down hard on the England international by making an example of the player, as seen with previous cases.

According to The Mail, Toney has now pleaded guilty to ‘many’ of the charges, meaning he is now likely to be faced with a ban that could be implemented in the near future.

It would prove to be a devastating blow for the red-hot Bees frontman, who is enjoying the season of his life despite his commitment to assisting the Football Association with their enquiries.

While he is seemingly accepting some wrongdoing, The Mail also add that Toney is contesting a number of other charges imposed against his name by the FA back in December.

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It’s understood Toney’s impending ban could see him miss European Championship qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine in March to cap a frustrating period for the ex-Peterborough United and Newcastle man.

Toney was previously omitted from Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad in Qatar despite his eye-catching start to the campaign.

He responded in perfect fashion, however, netting a stoppage-time winner a few days later for Brentford in a 2-1 win at Manchester City.

Unfortunately for Toney, he could have been in line for an England recall with World Cup forwards Callum Wilson and Raheem Sterling struggling to shake off niggling injuries.

An FA disciplinary hearing is understood to be imminent for 26-year-old Toney, who is keen to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

From a Brentford perspective, now wouldn’t be the worst time for Toney to be hit with a ban as it could run over the course of the off-season.

Although it would be hard operating without Toney for the remainder of the season, it could speed up his return to action.

Toney was initially charged with 232 breaches of the Football Association’s rules around gambling (between 2017 and 2021) but 30 additional charges were later raised the following month in December, taking the total to 262.