Ivan Toney Reveals He Was Turned Away From Restaurants And Denied Car Insurance Following Gambling Ban

Ivan Toney has spoken out for the first time since he received an eight month ban for gambling offences, with the Brentford striker turned away from restaurants and denied car insurance after being recognised.

Toney has opened up on his addiction to gambling after receiving an eight month ban in May, with the Brentford striker revealing all in interview with Steven Bartlett on his podcast ‘The Diary Of A CEO’.

The English forward admitted to breaching 232 FA rules earlier this summer, but revealed that he has been able to stop gambling since lying to investigators.

“No (he doesn’t gamble anymore). I think it’s kind of been in the public eye if I was going to these places. It’s more the embarrassment of “is he still continuing?”

“So I wouldn’t allow myself. You look back and take a backseat, have a look at the money you lost and what it could have. People to provide for. It could go to here or just managing money better. How I look at things. I can see it as me being naïve.

“The impact it (betting) would have is waiting for payday. I’d pay for everything I need to sort and then I would be like “I’ve got this much to play with”.

“I took care of what needed to be taken care of then in my head it’s like “my money is my money and I can spend it how I want.”

🗣️ “None of it was match fixing. I was betting on myself to score first. I’m trying to do the right thing. It’s not like I’m smashing someone to get a yellow card.”

Ivan Toney speaks out regarding his 8-month ban from football for gambling offences.

[via @StevenBartlett]. pic.twitter.com/ZWf4Bd2x0S

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 21, 2023

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Brentford’s top goalscorer last season went on to reveal that he had been denied car insurance and even access to restaurants amid the allegations, which ‘baffled’ the 27-year-old.

“I remember at the time when there was allegations, I wanted to go to a restaurant and they were like “no you can’t – we’re not taking you”

“I was like “what do you mean?” And then it was “the allegations, we’re not allowing you in or something like this. I was actually so confused. I was thinking “for starters, it’s allegations and second of all you are a restaurant how can you not let someone in because of bad press?”

“I was just baffled, and my car insurance, they wouldn’t insure me due to the whole scandal. And I was like “car insurance? They won’t have me on their books?”. It was baffling.”

Toney will be allowed to return to Premier League football in the new year, with the ban set to expire mid-January just after the busy Christmas period.

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