Forest full-back Harry Toffolo 'charged with misconduct' by the FA
Second Premier League footballer is charged by the FA for allegedly breaking betting rules with 375 breaches over a three-year period… just two months after Ivan Toney was given an eight-month ban
- A Premier League star has been charged for allegedly breaching betting rules
- The charge comes less than two months after Ivan Toney received a lengthy ban
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Nottingham Forest full-back Harry Toffolo has been charged by the FA after allegedly breaking betting rules 375 times.
The incident comes less than two months after Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney was handed a staggering eight-month ban for breaking betting rules.
In a statement on Wednesday, the FA said: ‘Nottingham Forest’s Harry Toffolo has been charged with misconduct in relation to our betting rules
‘It’s alleged that the defender breached FA Rule E1(b) 375 times between 22 January 2014 and 18 March 2017. Harry Toffolo has until Wednesday 19 July 2023 to provide his response.’
Toffolo, 27, was a consistent feature in Forest’s side last season and made 21 appearances in total throughout 2022-23.
Nottingham Forest full-back Harry Toffolo has been charged by the FA for an alleged breach on betting rules from 2014-2017
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In their statement, the FA claim that Toffolo’s alleged breach of betting rules stretched back to 22 January 2014 – when the player was on Norwich’s books – up until 18 March 2017.
Despite coming through the Canaries’ academy, Toffolo never made an appearance for the side and spent the early years of his career on loan.
In 2014-15 he was on loan at Swindon before playing at both Rotherham United and Peterborough United the season after.
He then spent a loan spell at Scunthorpe United for the 2016-17 season – which is around the time when the alleged betting offences came to an end.
Toffolo ended up joining Lincoln City – who were playing in League Two – back in 2018 before moving to Huddersfield in the Championship, where he featured regularly.
Across three seasons, he made 96 appearances for the Terriers and managed to contribute nine goals during that time.
Toffolo joined Premier League side Forest from Huddersfield last summer, after two and a half years with the West Yorkshire club.
He made 21 senior appearances, including nine league starts, for the newly-promoted club last season as they retained their top-flight status.
Toffolo (left) made 21 appearances in all competitions for Forest during the 2022-23 campaign
Toffolo’s alleged offences comes shortly after Brentford striker Ivan Toney was banned from all football activity for eight months for breaching FA betting rules.
Mail Sport revealed in February that Toney had pleaded guilty to the majority of the 262 betting charges brought by the FA last year, with an independent disciplinary commission imposing an eight-month suspension and £50,000 fine following a hearing this week.
In announcing Toney’s punishment in May, the FA revealed that Toney had admitted to 232 of the 262 charges, with the governing body withdrawing the others.
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The ban will prevent Toney from playing until 16 January next year and is longer than was expected, reflecting both the number of breaches and the fact that the bets were placed over an extended four-year period between February 2017 and January 2021.
In another shock development Toney will not even be permitted to train with Brentford until September, leaving him with no option but to work out on his own in order to stay fit.
Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney has been banned from football for betting offences
In addition to missing Toney’s goals and link-up play – his tally of 20 makes him the third-highest scorer in the Premier League this season behind Erling Haaland and Harry Kane – the lengthy ban will also have major financial implications and could cost Brentford tens of millions of pounds in transfer revenue.
Brentford had been resigned to selling Toney this summer when he enters the last two years of his contract amidst interest from Manchester United and Newcastle after talks over a new deal broke down last autumn, but it is unlikely any club will meet their £50million valuation now given he will miss more than half the season.
With Toney’s suspension lasting until the middle of January the 27-year-old may not attract buyers during the mid-season window either and his value will have dropped significantly by next summer when he will have just 12 months left on his contract.
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