Brentford forward Ivan Toney has been suspended from football for eight months after he admitted to breaching Football Association betting rules.

The 27-year-old was initially charged with 262 breaches of the FA's betting rules, but the governing body subsequently withdrew 30 of those charges.

However, Toney has admitted to the remaining 232 charges that took place between February 2017 and January 2021, during which time he played for Scunthorpe United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United and Brentford.

As a result, Toney has been banned from football and all football-related activity until January 17, 2024, but he can return to training with Brentford on September 17.

The England international has also been fined £50,000 for the offences and warned about his future conduct.

© Reuters

In a statement, the FA said: "His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing.

"He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from 17 September 2023.

"The independent Regulatory Commission's written reasons for these sanctions will be published in due course, and The FA will wait to review them before commenting further."

In response, Brentford have said that they are waiting for the official written reasons behind the decision before they consider their next steps.

© Reuters

A club statement read: "Brentford FC notes the decision of an independent Regulatory Commission to issue an eight-month ban from all football and football-related activity to Ivan Toney with immediate effect. Ivan was charged with breaches of FA rule E8 and had a personal hearing earlier this week.

"Brentford FC is currently awaiting the publication of the written reasons of the independent Regulatory Commission. We will review them before considering our next steps."

Toney's suspension will begin immediately, ruling him out of Brentford's final two Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

The striker has top scored for the West London club this season, racking up 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances.