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Jul 1, 2024 · Ivan Toney has discussed his feelings about coming on right at the death as England trailed Slovakia. The Brentford striker replaced Phil Foden as a last throw of the dice from Gareth...
- Fraser Watson
Mar 26, 2024 · Ivan Toney was hit with an eight-month ban from playing football after being found guilty of breaking the Football Association's betting rules in May 2023. The Brentford striker was charged...
- Dominic Booth
- Overview
- Live: SNF
- Toney on... claims he cannot reach the heights of last season
- Toney on... falling out of love with football
- Toney on... Tonali's betting ban
- Toney on... Brentford helping him with his mental health
- Toney on... becoming an actor after football?!
Ivan Toney admits he "fell out of love with football" at the start of his eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules - as he prepares for his Brentford return next week.
The England international was handed his lengthy ban in the middle of May for 232 breaches of the FA's rules for betting on football.
Toney's ban comes to an end on January 17 and his first Premier League game back in Brentford colours will be a home game against Nottingham Forest three days later, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 5.30pm.
•Toney: I want to repay Brentford in relegation battle
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In the interview, which you can read in-depth below, Toney discussed:
•Critics saying he cannot reach the heights of last season
•Falling out of love with football at the start of his ban
•Sandro Tonali's betting ban at Newcastle
•How Brentford helped him with his mental health
•Realising his desire to become an actor after football
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A reminder of what Ivan Toney will bring back to Brentford when he returns to action later this month.
At the beginning of the interview, Toney revealed he feels he is ready to play for Brentford against Forest on January 20, though the decision of his selection rests with manager Thomas Frank.
The striker did address claims made by critics that, after eight months away from top-level football, he will be unable to reach the heights of where he was last season.
"I'm going to be hungrier, I'm in better shape now," he said. "There has been some time out, but what drives me is when people say: 'he's not going to be the same to where he left off'. So watch this space and see what happens.
"That's their mentality, they haven't got my mentality which is: nothing really bothers me. I've been out for so long but I know what I'm capable of to start firing again. Everyone has got their opinions but that's life. Everyone's opinion isn't factual.
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A look back at Ivan Toney’s best goals in the Premier League.
Toney revealed that he initially put on weight at the start of his ban from all football activities, but the support from his friends and family got him back working with a personal trainer.
While the striker believes he is in "better shape than when I left" - he admits he did struggle with his passion for football in the first month after he was told to stop playing.
"In the first place, personally I didn't watch football for a while, for a month and a bit. I'd only really watch Brentford games but I would flick it on now and then, just listening in the background for the chances or the scoreline, things like this," he said.
"Before that, I was watching every single Premier League game possible. Every League One and League Two game on TV, obviously coming from those leagues. In a way, I kind of punished myself, not watching games. Then I realised: that's not really helping me, the situation is done.
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Newcastle's Sandro Tonali was applauded off in his final Premier League appearance before his 10-month ban for betting.
Toney was not the only Premier League player to receive a lengthy ban for breaching betting rules in 2023, with Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali also undergoing a period on the sidelines.
Tonali has admitted to betting on matches in Italy as an AC Milan player and, in October, was given a 10-month ban by FIFA. His co-operation in the investigation by Turin prosecutors helped the 23-year-old to avoid a potential three-year ban.
The Italian midfielder will not be able to return until late August 2024, meaning he will miss the rest of the Premier League season, plus the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. But crucially, Tonali is allowed to train with Newcastle during the ban, while Toney was not allowed to enter the Brentford training ground for the first three months of his ban.
Asked about why Tonali is allowed to train but he was not, Toney said: "I was a bit confused but what is done is done now. I can't dwell on it now saying it's not fair, but life's not fair. We all know this.
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Brentford striker Ivan Toney says he feels like he needs to repay the club for the way they have supported him during his eight-month ban after admitting 232 breaches of the Football Association's betting rules
Toney paid a heartfelt tribute to Brentford for helping him through the ban - highlighting the work of manager Frank, as well as former Bees captain Pontus Jansson.
But Toney made a special mention of a conversation on mental health with current Brentford skipper Christian Norgaard, who asked the striker if he was fine in himself during his time on the sidelines.
"My personality is a strong personality and I always am this bubbly person. But for someone to actually sit you down and ask you, even though I'm always good - and even when I'm not good, I will be good - it meant a lot because it showed he actually cared," said Toney.
"All the other team-mates have been messaging me so for him to come up to me, being a big personality, meant a lot.
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Brentford striker Ivan Toney says he would like to get into acting once his career in football is over.
With Toney banned from all football activities between May and September 2023, the Brentford striker took some time out to reflect on what life away from the sport could look like.
"I feel that sometimes you just need a break from a lot of things, to go somewhere and clear your head and just relax," he said. "It's been quite peaceful. I feel I know myself a lot better than I do before.
"My life was just football, then home. Football, then home. Now I realise there's a lot more to football.
"I was thinking about life after football, what if I didn't have it? With the time off, it allowed me to work out what I want to do with my spare time, if football wasn't an option.
Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney (born 16 March 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and the England national team. Toney became the youngest player to represent Northampton Town when he made his first-team debut in 2012.
Jul 1, 2024 · Bookmark. Ivan Toney was "disgusted" by Gareth Southgate's decision to bring him on with two minutes left against Slovakia - which Gary Neville believes was a fair reaction. With the seconds ...
Jan 19, 2024 · His prolific form for Brentford has led Toney to be regarded as a possible target for both Arsenal and Chelsea during the January transfer window. As he prepares to return to first-team football, here’s a closer look at why Toney was suspended and what he has said about his future at Brentford.
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Jan 21, 2024 · Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the...
