Extensive betting violations
Ivan Toney will be sweating after Scottish soccer player Chris Maguire received a six-week ban for betting violations. The English Football Association (FA) announced the suspension on Thursday after Maguire was found to have placed numerous wagers on soccer games between March 2017 and February 2022.
was initially found to have placed 52 such bets
Maguire was initially found to have placed 52 such bets, but this was later reduced to ten charges. Some of the bets that Maguire placed were on his own team to win games. As Toney is charged with more than 250 betting violations, it appears likely that he will get a more severe punishment.
Maguire’s case
Chris Maguire has denied aspects of his charges and asked to have a personal hearing. This led to the FA withdrawing numerous charges, while the independent Regulatory Commission gave an official warning to Maguire and fined him ￡750 ($930). The FA ended up appealing this action, which led to the six-week suspension. The ban will be backdated to November 22, 2022, while the fine and official warning will also remain.
The 34-year-old Maguire is currently without a club. He had been on the books with Lincoln City when the betting violations came to light. Maguire and the club mutually decided to part ways at the start of September 2022. He subsequently attempted to get a conditional deal with Hartlepool United, dependent on the outcome of the FA case.
A higher-profile situation
The Ivan Toney case is certainly a much more high-profile one than Chris Maguire’s. Toney had been in flying form for Brentford FC in the Premier League when the allegations came to light. He even had a chance to make the England squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. England manager Gareth Southgate denied that the FA investigation had anything to do with Toney not ultimately getting selected.
Toney was alleged to have committed 232 betting violations
The initial charges from the FA came in early November when Toney was alleged to have committed 232 betting violations between March 2017 and February 2019. In mid-December, the FA levied another 30 charges on Toney. The striker was said to be devastated by the allegations, but his form has not really dipped. Toney has registered five goals in his five Premier League games since the announcement of the violations, bringing his tally for the season to 13 goals in 18 appearances.