- Brentford striker Ivan Toney has served an eight-month ban for illegal betting
- His suspension has now officially ended, meaning he is free to play this weekend
Brentford striker Ivan Toney posted on X this morning that he is ‘free’ after his eight-month ban for breaching gambling rules officially ended.
Toney has not played for the Bees since the end of last season after being banned by the Football Association after admitting 232 breaches of betting rules.
But his suspension is now over, meaning he will be free to play in their Premier League match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
While heading to X on Wednesday morning, Toney posted a GIF of comedian Dave Chapelle triumphantly raising his arms in the air next to the one-word message “free.”
After being suspended last May, Toney was not allowed to train with his teammates until September.
Ivan Toney has posted on X that he is ‘free’ after his ban for illegal betting ended
Since then he has been training with the rest of the squad to get into top condition and has stepped up his preparation for his return in recent weeks.
He scored a hat-trick in a behind-closed-doors friendly for Brentford’s B team against Southampton Under 23s earlier this month, and got on the scoresheet again last Saturday with a Panenka penalty against Brondby.
Brentford shared the audacious penalty on their social media, declaring their talisman ‘ready to return’, with Toney looking to be straight back into the side for their crucial match against Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Toney has been linked with a possible move to Arsenal or Chelsea in January, but the 27-year-old recently spoke about wanting to repay Brentford boss Thomas Frank for standing by him during his suspension, indicating his intention to continue to stay at the club in the coming period. rest of the season.
Toney has spoken openly about his struggles to come to terms with his suspension, revealing he ‘fell out of love with football and stopped watching it for a while’, but has vowed to make an immediate impact on his return to Premier League action.
This will be music to the ears of Brentford fans as they look to see their team move away from the bottom three now that they have the England international back in their ranks.
Brentford are currently just three points above the drop zone, having failed to win any of their last five league games, and they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolves on Tuesday night.
More to follow…