For eight months, Toney cannot play football, and he cannot practice until September 17.
Thomas Frank acknowledged that Ivan Toney made mistakes, but he disagreed with the Football Association's choice to suspend him for four months from training as punishment for breaking the betting rules.
Toney entered a guilty plea to 232 betting violations by the FA. He was given an eight-month suspension from football and is not permitted to practice with Brentford until September 17, when the first half of the suspension will have been served.
As Brentford adapted to playing without their 20-goal scorer for the first part of the 2023–24 season, Frank jumped to Toney's defense.
"Yes, Ivan did something wrong, but what I don't understand at all is how you can't let him be involved in football at all for the first four months," the Brentford manager stated.
What benefit do you get from that? If you want to rehabilitate someone, you educate them and take action, but he is now left to fend for himself.
"There's no question in my mind that during the first four months of his involvement in football, he should be made to visit 100 schools and talk to the students about his background and football, but I'm a football coach, so what do I know?
"They'll have to prohibit me if I can't talk to him. There must be a problem if I am not permitted to speak to him on a supportive level. I believe you are permitted to communicate with individuals even if they are incarcerated. So I believe I am permitted.
The independent regulatory commission lowered Toney's suspension after a psychiatrist specialist determined that he had a gambling addiction.
With Hollywood Bets serving as their primary shirt sponsor since July 2021, there were reports in March that Brentford was thinking about severing relations with the company.
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