Ivan Toney has made it clear that he does not want sympathy regarding his eight-month ban. Despite the disciplinary action, Toney remains resilient and determined.
Ivan Toney, the 27-year-old Brentford striker and former England international, has been handed an eight-month ban and fined £50,000. This disciplinary action comes after Toney admitted to committing 232 rule violations, including betting on matches in which he participated.
Despite his impressive performance throughout the season, finishing as the Premier League’s third-highest goal scorer, Toney will be unable to represent his club or country until 16 January 2024. However, there is a silver lining as he will be allowed to resume training during the last four months of his suspension, commencing on 17 September.
“The support is good, but how I am, I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me,” he said.
“I done what I done before, the punishment is the punishment and get on with it. Like I said I just have to focus on when I come back training. I want to be a different animal when I come back. It’s going to be frightening.”
Ivan Toney also expressed his belief that the Football Association’s investigation into his gambling breaches was intentionally made public in a “spiteful” manner.
The news regarding the investigation into Toney’s past betting activities emerged just as Gareth Southgate was set to announce his England squad for the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“People try to break people down,” the 27-year-old Brentford striker said. “How it come out, just before the England camp, obviously missing out on the World Cup…In a way, it was kind of like: ‘get out now so you don’t go [away with] England’.
“And then all of a sudden they want to wait until the end of the season…But it is what it is. They wanted to do it that way. I call it a bit spiteful. You just have to get on with it.”
Follow us on all social media platform, @Sportscliffs on Twitter and Instagram and also like our facebook page
