Details of Ivan Toney's 'long ban' emerge after he pleads guilty to 'numerous' gambling charges

Ivan Toney appears set to begin a 'long ban' before the end of the current season after apparently pleading guilty to 'many' of the 262 alleged breaches of the Football Association's playing rules. Brentford must now sweat over the availability of their talismanic frontman, who has been integral to their superb campaign this season after scoring 14 Premier League goals in 21 outings in west London.

But Bees boss Thomas Frank is now forced to prepare for life without Toney as the FA prepare to crack down on the England international by making an example of the player, as seen in the previous cases.

According to , Toney has now pleaded guilty to "numerous" charges, meaning he is now likely to face a ban which could be implemented in the near future.

It would be a devastating blow for the scorching Bees frontman, who is enjoying the season of his life despite his pledge to help the Football Association with its investigations.

While he apparently accepts some wrongdoing, also add that Toney disputes a number of other charges brought against his name by the FA in December.

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Toney's fellow England international Kieran Trippier was previously banned for 10 weeks in December 2020 for leaking information that he was set to sign for Atletico Madrid from Tottenham.

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton was also hit with an 18-month ban in 2017 after placing 1,260 football-related bets over a 10-year period.

However, following an appeal, Barton's ban was reduced to 13 months, meaning that five months were removed from the original ban.

Brentford previously noted in a brief statement: "The club have been in discussions with Ivan and his legal representatives. These conversations will continue in private."

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It is understood that Toney's impending ban could see him miss European Championship qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine in March to cap a frustrating spell for the former Peterborough United and Newcastle man.

Toney was previously left out of Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad in Qatar despite his eye-catching start to the campaign.

He responded in perfect fashion, however, earning a stoppage-time winner days later for Brentford in a 2-1 victory at Manchester City.

Unfortunately for Toney, he could have been recalled to England as World Cup strikers Callum Wilson and Raheem Sterling struggled to rid themselves of minor injuries.

An FA disciplinary hearing is reportedly imminent for Toney, 26, who is keen to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

From Brentford's perspective, it wouldn't be the worst time for Toney to be hit with a ban as it could last into the offseason.

While it would be difficult to function without Toney for the rest of the season, it could hasten his return to action.

Toney was initially charged with 232 Football Association gambling rule offenses (between 2017 and 2021), but 30 additional charges were later laid the following month in December, bringing the total to 262.