The Football Association revealed Ivan Toney was officially diagnosed with a betting addiction. Because of this discovery, his suspension was eventually reduced by three months. The news comes after the FA published its findings on Friday during an investigation on the issue.
The governing body of the sport in England initially wanted to hit Toney with a larger ban. However, the diagnosis by a psychiatrist helped reduce the suspension from 11 months to eight. Toney can now not feature in a match for Premier League side Brentford until January of next year. However, he can continue soccer-related activities, including training with his teammates, in the fall.
Psychiatrist concluded that Toney has betting addiction
Dr. Philip Hopley reviewed Toney’s case while attending the hearing. Hopley concluded that the player had an official addiction. “The commission finds that a significant reduction should be made to reflect the diagnosed gambling addiction identified by Dr. Hopley,” stated the FA. “The lack of control the player has in respect of gambling is clearly a reflection of his diagnosed gambling addiction.”
Along with revealing the diagnosis, the FA also unveiled details of the 232 betting breaches by Toney. According to a statement, the governing body claims that the striker placed 29 total bets involving his club. Thirteen of these bets were for his team to lose. Toney did not feature in any of these 13 matches.
FA claims Toney’s bets did not involve match-fixing
Despite the lengthy suspension, the FA is adamant that there was no match-fixing involved in the bets. “The present case is not one of match-fixing,” proclaimed the governing body. “If it was, the charges would have been pursued under different provisions.”
“There is no evidence that Mr. Toney did or was even in a position to influence his own team to lose when he placed bets against them winning – he was not in the squad or eligible to play at the time.”
Brentford has elected not to appeal the decision by the FA. Toney was the standout performer in the Bees team this season. The striker racked up 20 total top-flight goals. Only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane scored more in this campaign.
PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images
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Courtesy : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/betting-addiction-diagnosis-got-toney-ban-reduced-by-3-months-20230526-WST-434908.html