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Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been diagnosed with gambling addiction.
This news follows the footballer being found guilty of breaching betting rules.
The Football Association (FA) initially wanted to give Toney a 15-month ban after he tried to conceal his betting habits. However, his sentence was reduced to eight months after a psychiatry expert gave evidence to the FA’s regulatory commission revealing that Toney had a gambling addiction.
The striker was recently found guilty of 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules.
Toney has admitted to repeatedly lying to the FA, by deleting relevant messages and giving false evidence.
Earlier this week, England Manager Gareth Southgate questioned the punishment imposed on Toney, saying it is: “Not how the best rehabilitation programmes work.”
Toney has since revealed he has stopped betting on football, though not on other sports.
Further details have been revealed on the bets that Toney placed. Toney was found to have placed 13 bets on his own team to lose, spread over seven matches. However, it has been noted that Toney did not play in any of these fixtures.
Toney has also been found to have placed many bets on his own team to win, as well as placing bets on football games.
He was found to have placed bets on himself to score in fixtures at a point where his involvement in the matchday squad would not yet have been public knowledge.
Toney is said to be determined to work on his addiction and will be allowed to play football again in January 2024.
