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England football manager Gareth Southgate has questioned the ban imposed on Ivan Toney after he was punished for breaching betting rules.
The England and Brentford striker was previously banned from football for eight months after admitting to 232 breaches of the Football associations betting rules. He is now banned from football until January 2024. Toney was also fined £50,000 ($62,000).
Originally, Toney was charged with 262 breaches; however, 30 of these were subsequently removed.
Southgate admits Toney understands why the punishment has been made: “He recognises and accepts the punishment.”
However, Southgate went on to say banning him from football altogether is not what is best for Toney on his road to recovery. Southgate said: “We’ve got to look after people. How do we give him some structure over the next few months so he can develop himself to be a better person at the end of it?
“I don’t like the idea that we just leave somebody, that he is not allowed to be a part of the football community.”
Southgate went on to summarise his point best by saying: “I don’t think that is how we should work. I don’t think this is how the best rehabilitation programmes work”.
Southgate’s response came on the same day as much news related to responsible gambling, with LadBible announcing a partnership with GambleAware, launching a campaign to educate youth audiences on responsible betting.
Southgate discussed the future of Toney in the press conference, suggesting that once Toney has served the duration of his punishment, the ban will not factor into future decisions. He ended his answer to the question with: “We’re here to support him.”
