Ivan Toney faces a football ban for betting, here are 5 other top footballers who have been banned for similar offences
English striker Ivan Toney has been charged by the Football Association with alleged breaches of gambling laws.
The Brentford player could be banned for several months after being charged with 232 breaches of the English FA’s betting rules.
Here are five other famous footballers who have been in similar situations and ended up getting banned or fined or both.
Joey Barton
Joey Barton built a reputation for controversy in his playing years which included multiple cards, red and yellow, hard tackles, pitch fights and even betting.
Barton was found to have breached betting rules in 2016 when the FA discovered that he had been betting on football matches and competitions between March 2006 and May 2016. Investigations revealed that he had placed 1,260 bets over a ten-year period, including wagers against teammates.
Barton was banned by the FA for 18 months in 2017 for his misdemeanours and also received a one-match ban from the Scottish Football Association for breaching gambling rules while playing for Rangers.
Daniel Sturridge
Former England international Daniel Sturridge was found to have breached betting rules in 2019 which had dire consequences for his career.
The former Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool striker was caught after investigations revealed that he had shared insider information related to a potential transfer in January 2018. He was given a four-month ban and was also fined £150,000 by Turkish club Trabzonspor, who also terminated his contract three-year contract after seven months.
Sturridge continues to protest his innocence, blaming bookmakers for allowing wagers on transfers, his career never recovered from it and he has since only played for Australian club, Perth Glory.
Kieran Trippier
Just like Sturridge, another English international Kieran Trippier was involved in a betting scandal involving transfers.
In July 2019, Trippier shared a WhatsApp message hinting that he was about to sign for Atletico Madrid.
His friends used the information to place multiple bets on the move and an FA investigation found him guilty of sharing inside information and banned him from all footballing activities for ten weeks. He was also fined £70,000 and forced to bear the costs of the investigation.
Lucky for Trippier, he has since bounced back to continue his career at Atletico Madrid and now at Newcastle where he is the club captain and will be representing England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Andros Townsend
Andros Townsend is another ex-England international who has been caught up in a betting breach.
The winger was found violating betting laws while on loan at Birmingham City by the Football Association.
Townsend revealed that he lost £46,000 in one night while suffering from a gambling addiction during the 2012/13 season, and as a result, the ex-Tottenham player was suspended for four months for violating betting regulations.
Martin Demichelis
Former Argentina and Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis was involved in a betting scandal in his playing days.
The former Premier League winner with Man City was fined £22,000 in May 2016 for betting on football matches.
Investigations revealed that he had placed 29 bets on games played over three weeks. He was lucky to escape a ban but was warned by the FA.
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