Brentford striker Ivan Toney is under investigation by the Football Association over allegations of gambling in football during his career.
Ivan Toney : Gambling | Investigation | is injured
Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Brentford.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney | ||
| Date of birth | 16 March 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Northampton, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
Toney became the youngest player to represent Northampton Town when he made his first-team debut in 2012, and scored 13 goals in 60 matches across all competitions before joining Newcastle United in 2015.
In his first season at Newcastle, he had two successive loan spells with Barnsley, winning the Football League Trophy and the League One play-offs.
He spent the next two years on loan in League One with Shrewsbury Town, Scunthorpe United, and Wigan Athletic.
Ivan Toney Gambling
World Cup hopeful Ivan Toney has been investigated by the FA over historical gambling allegations for seven months without reaching a conclusion.
Toney, 26, is widely expected to be in England’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar, which starts a fortnight today.
Astonishingly, despite the ongoing investigation, he was picked for Three Lions duty during recent Nations League matches — but did not play.
The allegations are believed to relate solely to the period when Toney was at one of his previous clubs. A source said: “Ivan is aware of the investigation. He is concerned but is adamant that he has done nothing wrong.
“The FA is duty-bound to act fully on allegations they receive. But it is obviously a highly sensitive matter for the FA as he is a potential candidate for the England World Cup squad.”
No charges have been brought by FA chiefs against the player.
There is no suggestion of any criminal activity by Toney — who also previously played for Newcastle United — or that he attempted to fix the outcome of any match.
Ivan Toney investigation
Brentford striker Ivan Toney said he is assisting England’s Football Association (FA) with its enquiries after a national newspaper report said he was being investigated for alleged historical gambling on soccer.
A report in the Daily Mail newspaper said Toney, who has not been charged with any offence, had been under investigation for around seven months in relation to the alleged betting activity before he played for Premier League side Brentford.
It added there were no suggestions that the 26-year-old had betted on his own team to lose matches.
“I’m aware of a story about me in a national newspaper today,” Toney, who is hoping to be part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup in Qatar starting on Nov. 20, wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
“I have been assisting the FA with their enquiries and will not be making any comment until such investigation has reached its conclusion.
“I’m a proud Englishman and it has always been my childhood dream to play for my country at a World Cup finals.”
The BBC said the FA declined to comment, while Brentford said: “We note the story concerning Ivan Toney and the FA investigation. The club will not be commenting.”
Brentford were without top scorer Toney in Saturday’s 2-2 league draw with Nottingham Forest as he was serving a one-match suspension after picking up five yellow cards.
Is injured
Once again, though, the narrative of a Brentford victory revolved around their captain and talisman Ivan Toney.
Toney scored both Brentford goals. The second was one of his trademark zen-like penalties, but the opener was a superlative back-heeled finish, after Toney allowed the ball to run across him, before he flicked through Adam Webster’s legs and past Robert Sanchez.
Gareth Southgate, who must name his long-list World Cup squad by Friday, will surely have cast admiring glances towards west London. Also “He should be in the squad for the World Cup,” said Thomas Frank, who celebrates four years as Brentford’s head coach this weekend.
“Good teams bounce back,” the Dane added. “Handling setbacks such as last week’s defeat at Newcastle, defines us as human beings and as a team. This was a massive win and a massive performance.”
In contrast, Brighton have taken just one point from their three games since Graham Potter’s departure. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi had kept faith with those who started last week’s home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur and he was sanguine afterwards.
“I consider myself a lucky person, but in the last three games not so much. Also We had 21 shots tonight. We lost because we didn’t win enough second balls and individual duels.”
During the warm up, Brighton’s players paid tribute to Enock Mwepu, whose career suddenly ended in midweek after being diagnosed with a hereditary heart condition.