Ivan Toney has revealed the extent of the reputational damage that allegations over betting breaches had on him.
Speaking to Steven Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Toney detailed that he was denied a table at a restaurant and also faced challenges getting car insurance, as people didn’t want to be associated with him.
What fuelled the reputational damage, according to Toney, were the rumours around match fixing, something Toney was never charged with.
Toney also believes that allegations over his betting scandal were the reason he missed out on Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad in 2022, as he questioned the timing of the charges levelled against him being released.
The Brentford striker stated that this was the biggest punishment he faced, as he expressed his ‘hurt’ over missing out on the World Cup squad – feeling ‘someone was out to get him’ at that time.
“In my head, how I saw it at the time, was that they wanted to punish me for this, playing at the World Cup for England, which is everyone’s dream. Then further down the line ban me as well.
“It kind of felt like a double-hit. If you’re going to stop me going to the World Cup, do it there and then and deal with the whole situation. It doesn’t add up in my head anyway.”
He revealed that the aftermath of missing out on the squad for Qatar 2022 was probably his lowest moment and a time he struggled significantly.
Toney stated that during the FA’s investigation, he felt infringed on personal privacy as he allowed the governing body to scan his phone and see his bank statements.
He revealed that he had limited knowledge of betting’s relationship with football, as he can’t recall one occasion when somebody spoke to him about betting laws in football.
The Brentford forward explained that he doesn’t recall ever placing bets that were on his own team to lose.
Toney stated that despite the commission finding that he was aware of the rules, he felt his awareness was a ‘grey area’, implying that more needs to be done to inform players of rules.
