He didn’t play for eight months because of betting and scored in his first game. England’s Toney still stirs controversy

Ivan Toney, the England international, has been without football for eight long months. After serving a sentence for betting on his own matches, he scored in his first Premier League game and helped Brentford win 3-2 against Nottingham Forest.

Toney made a great comeback

Toney was last on the pitch last May in a game against Liverpool. He was then unable to play due to an eight-month sentence for sports betting from 2017 to 2021. He immediately started against Nottingham with the captain’s armband.

The goalscorer, who scored a fine 20 goals in the last edition of England’s top competition, pleaded guilty to 232 counts of sports betting in the case. His offences include betting on himself to score a goal.

And Toney continues to stir up controversy. In the Nottingham game, he scored beautifully in the 19th minute from a free kick after he moved the ball sideways twice before taking it. He improved his position considerably.

Was that a cheat?

Is this a classic piss-up or is it cheating? This question was asked by fans on social media.

Whatever one’s opinion on the matter, Toney will certainly help The Bees in their fight to save the Premier League. The strike against Nottingham is very likely just the start of a goal machine that Brentford badly need.

That is, unless their elite forward moves on to another address. Although he hasn’t played for more than half a year, there is talk of interest from London teams, which are Arsenal and Chelsea. And if he performs like he did on Saturday at Brentford Community Stadium, it will be very difficult for coach Thomas Frank to keep him.

The story of the 27-year-old Northampton native will certainly be worth watching. And it might be as early as the last game of January, when Brentford take on Tottenham.

Source: YouTube, Brentford