Brentford striker Ivan Toney was originally charged with 232 alleged breaches of FA betting rules in November; A further 30 breaches were alleged to have taken place between March 2017 and February 2019; Brentford are lining up their January transfer options should Toney be banned
Thursday 22 December 2022 20:34, UK
Brentford are lining up potential striker options in the January transfer window in case Ivan Toney is hit with a significant ban.
The forward had originally been charged over 232 alleged breaches of betting rules in November and on Tuesday was charged with a further 30 alleged breaches of FA betting rules.
Brentford are doing due diligence on potential targets for next month but options are expected to be limited for director of football Phil Giles and his technical director Lee Dykes due to the specific set of requirements they need in these unique circumstances.
The club needs someone with Premier League experience, who can potentially hit the ground running with the goals necessary to maintain Brentford's good form this season or at least secure their top-flight status.
They do not yet know whether or for how long Toney could be banned, so convincing a player with these credentials to commit to them for a short period will be challenging.
Clubs are reluctant to let go of good players - even those who are mostly on the bench - because they never know when they might be needed. Brentford do not pay huge wages either, so may need the assistance of the parent club should a loan be the most viable route.
However, Brentford have shown through the summer signing of Ben Mee that they are covering the market for experienced players that can help the team.
Finding one or two potential solutions to the impending problem Toney's absence is the focus for Giles and Dykes ahead of next month - but they may also continue the club's philosophy of signing the best young talent available.
Long-term they have been assessing forward players and centre-backs in the main. They had tried to sign Mykhailo Mudryk last summer but his valuation now seems too high.
Toney is cooperating with the FA investigation and will continue to play for Brentford until told otherwise.
On Tuesday evening, an FA spokesperson said: "Ivan Toney has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of The FA's Betting Rules.
"In addition to the previous charge, it is alleged that the Brentford FC forward breached FA Rule E8 a further 30 times between 14 March 2017 and 18 February 2019.
"Ivan Toney has until Wednesday 4 January 2023 to provide a response."
A statement from Brentford said: "The FA have informed Brentford FC that Ivan Toney has been charged in relation to additional alleged breaches of their betting rules.
"Our private discussions with Ivan and his legal representatives on this matter continue. We will make no further comment at this stage."
The FA's legal representatives and those of Toney's are in the process of going through each betting offence he is alleged to have made.
This is a painstaking process and Toney has the right to respond to each of them individually.
It could therefore take some time for the FA to get to a verdict, which may not come until February or beyond, despite Toney needing to respond to the latest charges by January 4.
The FA assesses these offences on a case-by-case basis, therefore any previous examples of players breaching betting rules are not expected to have a direct bearing on the severity of any punishment Toney might receive.
However, Sky Sports News understands he is facing a ban of at least six months if he is found to have bet on his own team.
It is also understood the probe into these alleged offences has been ongoing for more than seven months.
Toney, who was not included in England's 26-man World Cup squad, had previously revealed he had been assisting the FA with its enquiries amid allegations he gambled on matches.
After a report in the Daily Mail claimed he had been the subject of an FA investigation, he tweeted on November 5: "I'm aware of a story about me in a national newspaper today.
"I have been assisting the Football Association with their enquiries and will not be making any comment until such investigation has reached its conclusion."
Betting on football is banned worldwide for all players, managers, coaches, club staff, directors and licensed agents involved in the game within the Premier League, EFL, National League, Women's Super League, Women's Championship and the Northern, Southern and Isthmian leagues.
Participants covered by the ban are prohibited from betting, either directly or indirectly, on any football match or competition that takes place anywhere in the world.
The ban also includes betting on any other football-related matter such as the transfer of players, managerial appointments or team selection.
The passing of inside information to somebody that uses the information for betting is also not allowed. Inside information is information that you are aware of due to your position in the game and which is not publicly available, like injury or team selection news.
You are not allowed to use inside information to place a bet or to instruct someone else to do so on your behalf. Equally, you are not allowed to pass inside information on to someone else which they use for betting.
Other high-profile players charged and subsequently found guilty of breaking FA betting rules include current England World Cup squad member Kieran Trippier, who was banned from football activity for 10 weeks and handed a £70,000 fine for telling a friend to "lump on" the prospect of him joining Atletico Madrid before his switch from Tottenham in 2019.
Daniel Sturridge was also punished for disclosing inside information about a transfer. After initially being given a six-week suspension, his punishment was increased to a four-month ban and £150,000 fine after it was found he had instructed his brother to bet on a January 2018 move to Sevilla.
Joey Barton was given an 18-month ban in 2017 after placing 1,260 bets on football between 2006 and 2016. The punishment brought about his retirement from playing football, although the term was later reduced by five months on appeal.
Position: 10th (19 points)
Top goalscorer: Ivan Toney (11 goals)
Next three PL games: Tottenham (H), West Ham (A), Liverpool (H)
Barring the 5-1 horror show at Newcastle and the 4-0 defeat away to Aston Villa, Brentford had quashed any speculation over whether they were about to be the next victims of the fabled 'second season syndrome' by the time the Premier League paused for the World Cup last month. If it was not the case already, they appear to have very much established themselves as part of the furniture in the top flight.
And who could forget the way in they entered the break? Days after an embarrassing Carabao Cup shootout defeat to Gillingham, they went to the Etihad as outright underdogs, yet failed to crumble and came away with a fully deserved 2-1 win against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.
The Bees' talisman frontman Ivan Toney was very much in the spotlight that afternoon. He responded to Gareth Southgate's decision to omit him from the England squad by scoring both goals, which left many questioning why he would not be travelling to Qatar, particularly given his exquisite penalty record and the fact he was the league's second highest scoring Englishman with 10 goals, behind only Harry Kane.
Just a few days later, it was revealed that Toney had been charged over 232 alleged breaches of betting rules between February 2017 and January 2021.
He was part of Brentford's trip to Spain earlier this month and played an active part in mid-season friendlies against Bordeaux, Celta Vigo and Wolfsburg, but then came Tuesday's news of an additional charge of a further 30 alleged breaches.
If those allegations against him are proven, the striker could face a lengthy ban. Given the fact he has scored 11 of Brentford's 26 goals in all competitions so far this term - with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa following up with three each - you do get the feeling the Bees will be looking over their shoulder somewhat with regards to developments in the saga.
Dan Long
