TONEY IN DOCK

Striker faces six-month ban after FA charge him with breaking betting rules… 232 times!

IVAN TONEY has been accused of 232 breaches of betting rules and faces a ban until the end of the season at least.

The Brentford star, who was overlooked for England’s World Cup squad after Sportsmail revealed he was being investigated by the FA, has been charged with misconduct.

It is understood that a report triggered by the probe is some 2,800 pages long.

Toney became a contender for Gareth Southgate’s squad after a blistering start to the season, with 10 goals in 14 league games.

However, earlier this month it emerged that he was at the centre of a seven-month FA probe. Toney is not thought to have bet against his own team, an offence which could trigger a lifetime ban. However, if he is found to have placed bets on his own side to win, a six-month ban is among the potential punishments.

The number of bets and how much he staked would be taken into account if Toney is found to have broken the rules.

The claims relate to the period from February 2017 to January 2021, when Toney played for Scunthorpe, Wigan, Peterborough and Brentford.

A Brentford statement read: ‘The club has been in discussion

with Ivan and his legal team and those conversations will continue privately.’ Toney was picked in the last England squad before the World Cup but was not used by Southgate and is yet to make his international debut. Following Sportsmail’s original story, the 26-year-old confirmed he was ‘assisting the FA with their enquiries’. He was said to be devastated that news of the probe had leaked, fearing it would hit his chances of going to Qatar. An FA statement last night read: ‘It is alleged that the Brentford forward breached FA Rule E8 232 times between February 25, 2017 and January 23, 2021.’

In 2017, Joey Barton was banned for 18 months, reduced to 13, having admitted placing 1,260 bets on matches, including at least five in which he played. In 2020, Daniel Sturridge was given a four-month ban and fined for providing his brother with inside information on his potential transfer from Liverpool to Sevilla in 2018.