You’re pretty much screwed with just one gambling accusation, let alone 262! Brentford striker Ivan Toney is looking at a very lengthy ban as he has been accused of over 250 breaches of English betting rules, all but prematurely ending his breakout campaign.
I don’t know what Toney was thinking. Did he really believe that he wasn’t going to get caught for his gambling habits by one of the thousands of cameras in casinos or the indestructible accounting records of the many gambling sportsbooks online?
He must have or else he wouldn’t have bet at least 262 times on games or given out information to those he knows about football games. Given the current laws of gambling in the United Kingdom and the rules upheld by the English FA, all professional players are barred from gambling on any sports game, regardless of if they are playing in said game or not, and from handing out information about said games to associates.
And I’m 1000% sure he knew this rule as both Newcastle United LB Kieran Trippier and former Burnley midfielder Joey Barton were banned in the past decade for gambling on football games and transfers. So, there’s really no excuse of “I didn’t know it was illegal” or “I’m a first-time offender” for Toney as he not only placed over 250 bets (at least), but he also has damaged the reputation of Brentford and the Premier League as a whole if he is found guilty of betting on his own games.
You don’t need me to tell you how compromising it would be for the Premier League if Toney is found guilty of gambling on Brentford games as it would permanently cast doubt on every single Brentford game that features Toney in some regard. Essentially, it would be a 1919 Chicago White Sox situation, though to a much more confined degree.
Nonetheless, Toney has not been accused of said charge, so I guess there’s no reason to worry about him getting completely banned from Brentford, the Premier League, and probably the English footballing FA as a whole for Brentford fans.
Though, I image Brentford fans will be taking in as much of Toney as they can while he’s still allowed to play as if he’s found guilty of the chargers, he’s looking a yearlong ban (at least) from the sport.
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