Brentford manager Thomas Frank believes Ivan Toney's future is with the club and says they "will do everything to be there for him" after the striker was banned from football for eight months. Toney was suspended and fined £50,000 after accepting breaking Football Association betting rules. The 27-year-old will not be allowed to play again until 17 January, 2024. "I've been in contact with him. He's disappointed and sad about the situation," said Frank. "His future is with Brentford, there's no doubt about that."
Toney's suspension starts immediately, but he can return to training with Brentford four months before it ends on 17 September. "We are waiting for the information so we know what we can do. What he's allowed to do, especially for the first four months," added Frank. "One thing is for sure, we will do everything to be there for him, support him and be aware of the mental health in it. "He's made some mistakes, but we need to be there, and want to be there, for him and help him.
We just need to know what we are allowed to do." Frank said, like Toney, he was waiting until the independent Regulatory Commission published its written reasons for the verdict before talking about the specifics of the case. However, he did say "in general" gambling was an issue "we need to be aware of in society", despite Brentford being sponsored by a betting company. Frank added: "It is a challenge, for me personally, all the advertising for gambling done by clubs [and] individuals in the game - I think that's an issue, for me. "I don't know the full details of how much support or education the authorities provide. I know the Premier League and FA have a lot of initiatives in place that try to educate people out there. "Education is the key thing. Across the world, education is the number one thing if you want to change a culture and mindset. That takes a lot of hard work and patience."
The 232 breaches Toney has been found guilty of took place between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021, during which time he represented Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United and Brentford. "We need to be aware of the mental health in this," said Frank. "Ivan is a footballer but he is also a human being that has family, a partner, young children, a mum and dad, siblings and friends and he has been on the front pages quite a lot. "We need to do whatever to support him in that aspect." Toney has scored 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances this season and, even though his FA ban started straight away, Frank said a hamstring injury would have ruled the forward out of the club's final two games of the season against Tottenham and Manchester City. "Now it's done, he [Toney] has got a very good mindset of, 'OK, it is what it is and then move forward'," added Frank.
