Like every game worldwide, betting has also become integral to football. According to IMARC Group, the football betting industry is valued at $3.2 Billion in 2022, expected to surpass $4 Billion by 2028. And due to such a large sum of money involved, the game has strict rules banning players from making bets, getting others to bet on them or revealing privileged information that can be used for betting, even on the best football betting sites. However, despite the stringent regulations, several players have violated the rules, and the recent case of Ivan Toney is one such example.
The Brentford man has scored 14 goals this season and admitted to betting several times between 2017 and 2022. Toney could now face a lengthy ban from football due to these crimes. However, he is not the first player to be involved in such activities.
Several footballers in the past have been indicted on these charges and have served lengthy bans. So, here are the footballers who were banned for betting on football.
Ivan Toney: 2017-2021, Brentford
Brentford striker Ivan Toney is the latest player who pleaded guilty to the charges of betting brought against him. The FA has brought 262 cases of betting against him in November and December. Toney has accepted most of these chargers and will now face an investigation regarding the same.
Multiple sources have told the media that a ban could come his way, which could be as long as 18 months. This could have severe repercussions for his footballing career. Toney has been one of the deadliest strikers in the Premier League and was also in contention to become a regular feature in England’s national team.
In the initial stage, the FA brought 232 cases against him, from February 25, 2017, to January 23 2021. A further 30 charges dating from March 14, 2017, and January 23, 2021, were added a month later by the FA.
The FA reached the final conclusion in May when they banned the footballer for eight months both from club and international football. In a statemne, the FA said, “Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of the FA’s Betting Rules.”
— Ivan Toney (@ivantoney24) May 17, 2023
Kieran Trippier: 2019, Tottenham
Former Manchester City, Tottenham, and Atletico Madrid player Kieran Trippier has also been banned for giving privileged information that helped his friend win big. In June 2019, Trippier was tipped to leave the club, but his destination was unclear, with several clubs fighting for his signature.
However, the full-back revealed he was joining Atletico Madrid in a WhatsApp group that included his friends. However, one of the friends in the group then used this information to place several bets and won big.
This led the FA to investigate the entire matter and, after going through Trippier’s phone, handed him a 10-week ban and a fine of £70,000. However, Trippier did not benefit from the bet and was unaware that his friend had used the information to profit.
Daniel Sturridge: 2019, Trabzonspor
Daniel Sturridge has had a career marred by injuries that stopped him from fulfilling his potential. However, many would have forgotten that the former England international was once at the centre of a betting scandal in 2019.
According to the investigation, Sturridge has passed privileged information regarding a potential transfer in January 2018. After the end of the inquiry, the player was handed a four-month ban from playing professional football. In addition, the player was also hit with a £150,000 fine.
Apart from that, his then-club Trabzonspor also terminated his contract over the issue.
Daniel Sturridge suspended from all football activity until June 17 after the Football Association won an appeal over betting breaches. Ban increased from two weeks to four months and fine doubled to £150,000. Explains why he has ended his Trabzonspor contract.
— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) March 2, 2020
Matt Le Tissier: 1995, Southampton
Matt Le Tissier is one of the best players and penalty-takers to play in the Premier League. However, in his autobiography Taking Le Tiss, the former forward revealed that he was part of a spread betting network during his playing days which failed.
In 1995, Southampton were scheduled to play Wimbledon, and Le Tissier, along with his two friends and a teammate, devised a scheme where the player would kick the ball out for a throw-in inside the first minute. His friends had palace bets worth £10,000 on the time for the first throw-in of the match.
However, at the last moment, Le Tissier panicked and deliberately put the ball out of play after the first minute, which meant that none of the bets were successful. An investigation was launched after the publication of Le Tissier’s autobiography, but it was decided that no further actions would be taken.
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Andros Towsend: 2012-13, Birmingham City
Former Tottenham and England international Andros Townsend was another player who came under the hammer for betting on football matches. The case is from the 2012-13 season when Townsend was playing for Birmingham City.
According to Townsend’s admission that year he became addicted to gambling. In one such instance, he lost £46,000 while gambling in just one night. For this, he was banned for four months from professional football.
Townsend accepted the punishment and sought professional help to get rid of his addiction.