Ivan Toney opens up honestly on his eight month ban, his mental health, and gambling

Ivan Toney opens up honestly on his eight month ban, his mental health, and gambling on the latest episode of The Diary of A CEO.

In May 2023, the Brentford striker was given a reduced ban from football because of a diagnosed gambling addiction, the 27 year old was banned for eight months for breaking Football Association betting rules – including betting against his own team.

A psychiatry expert giving evidence to the FA’s regulatory commission diagnosed Toney with a gambling addiction and concluded he needed help, meaning the commission reduced an 11-month sanction by three months.

In their written reasons explaining its sanction, the commission said that Toney had admitted repeatedly lying during his initial interviews with the FA.

It added he had since ceased gambling on football, though not on other sports, and is “determined to address his gambling problem with therapy”.

Other topics within an interview with Steven Bartlett, as can be seen below…
– The 3 clubs that rejected him before Brentford!
– His honest opinion on his 8 month football ban!
– The unseen impact the ban has had on his mental health.
– The premier league club he would want to join in the future!
– How he nearly signed for Celtic and Rangers before Brentford.
– The unseen reasons why Brentford are so successful.
– His very honest opinion on why he didn’t make the England World Cup squad.
– What he plans to do upon his return to the Premier League in January!

SB: England’s football team I saw I think I saw a post on your Instagram a couple of weeks ago about that being a huge dream for you to play for England

IT: Yeah I think everybody wants to pay for England yeah I remember just screaming like Gerrard’s name and Lampard’s name like when I’m on the field just kicking and they said when that opportunity was around and I was in talks of it just didn’t it didn’t feel real from being Ivan just playing out the front getting bashed around by the old a lot too actually having a chance to play for England was something I would never have dreamt off

ST: You missed out on the final World Cup squad um lots of circulating rumors about why do you know why

IT: Um I guess I guess it comes down to allegations on the betting scandal but I feel like personally I felt like it was a bit of a questionable time when they decided to bring it all out and then when they actually dealt with the situation come the end of the season is kind of like why’d you bring out then to and then punish me at the end of the season

SB: So they brought, so I guess you’re saying that you suspect they brought it out at that time to prevent you going to play for England

IT: I assume so I’m to make it a bigger story personally anyway I don’t know if it’s true that how not to know what’s behind the scenes but I feel like if you have somebody go into the World Cup that’s supposed to be betting then it’s kind of like a bigger story

SB: What’s the, I’m not really clued up on this or how FA thinks the FA the England team play under the FA and the FA are also the sort of body that brought the charges against you

SB: So they so one might assume that they release the charges at that point because if they didn’t then there might be some ramifications on the England team or the perceptions of England team or something

IT: I’m not too aware of all this stuff but I feel like it was a bit of a coincidence when they desire to bring it all out and then having to be dealt with the punishment at the end of the season so far after it’s kind of like I mean you know well I feel like yes I’m banned now but the biggest punishment for me was missing out on playing at the World Cup personally I felt more hurt and what’s the word kind of like yeah I just I just felt I felt down around the time it felt like somebody’s out to get me at that time to stop me from playing for England it was in my head like that’s just how I seen it at the time it’s like they want to punish me for this missing out on England, the World Cup like everybody’s dream to be playing at the World Cup and then further down the line ban me as well it’s kind of like a double hit I feel, in a sense was like I said, if he was going to do if he’s gonna stop me from going to World Cup do it there and then and deal with it deal with the whole situation rather than doing that missing out on the World Cup and then let me play the rest of the season and then binding me off to the season, it doesn’t add up in my head to be fair

SB: When you say I felt down about it, what does that mean in real terms if I was a fly on the wall in your life when that information came in

IT: That was probably that the lowest point I was like with me I’ll never show nothing I’m not sure emotion too tough but I think that was probably the lowest point I felt like you’d ask me about uh yeah he’s always but that is what it is it’s kind of like I don’t want to talk about it yeah damn it hurt it did hurt

SB: Do you cry?

IT: No I don’t feel like crying solves anything personally that’s my personal views everybody says to we need to show emotion you can cry isn’t this it’s okay but like I feel like I’ve only cried once when I see my Nan from losing my pap and seeing her as much as she was killed me inside and it was kind of like I didn’t cry cry but it was like tears in my eyes coming down and it’s kind of like it was painful

SB: Do you express your how you’re feeling to anyone in your life at that point to your partner to your family your mum your dad when you when you find out that you’re not going to play for England and they’ve you know the rumors are out about this gambling situation do you tell anyone how you’re actually feeling

IT: No but people that know me know my actions and how that leads to how I’m feeling like I’d be a lot more like Snappy about things or I’ll just be like I can just be like a zombie talking to me and it’s not like really registering but my head’s not really in the room kind of thing and that people that know me know like something’s up something’s wrong

SB: What was the reality of the situation what was going on inside your head and how was it when you say down and you say that was the lowest point how what does that mean in real terms

IT: Um I wouldn’t say depressed as such but it’s kind of like not far off that if anything towards that direction but not completely because like that’s still how I stay in my head it’s like next opportunity next next day another day is another day to put things right and try and be as positive as I can

SB: Have you ever had anxiety?

IT: Probably but how I am I don’t let it get to me as much like I’d say the loan spells when when I’m on loan I’m in a room on my own there’s been times I’ve just literally sat there and about the TV on just just sat there I’m just like chilling and just looking to thin air and just thinking about things but I’ve never actually I’d never like let nobody know how I’m feeling because how I am as a person I feel like it it eats away at me but I’m just always a smiley one always like I asked people at Brentford now, I’m making sure everyone’s fine these kind of things I think that’s my kind of way of beating my emotions um if I see this person happy for me doing that then it kind of brings me up to make me happy kind of thing

SB: Did you did you not speak to anyone like a professional about about this stuff because I always think when we bottle up our emotions it’s not like they go away it’s like almost like they they eat us up from inside and they come out in other ways like you were saying snappiness or whatever or you know surely there’s someone around you that said you need to see someone

IT: Yeah that’s yeah there was but as well me being stubborn is kind of like nah I’m fine it’s fine like I’ll be right next tomorrow I’ll be right later I’ll be right next week I feel like I can speak to anyone in my family but like my stomach is just don’t allow me to

SB: I think a lot of men can relate to that you know

IT: Yeah 100 I feel like that personally

SB: In May 26th, uh you did a famous tweet do you know that’s what I’m talking about yeah I’ll speak soon with no filter you ready to speak what did that tweet mean

IT: That was just speak on everything really but obviously when I’ve done that they went crazy and then I think my family just said listen you don’t need to talk just when you get on a pitch that if you do the talking but what’s up damage is done you can’t talk and it’s not gonna help no situation if anything could not damage my reputation or my career but just make people think not that I care what people think is just could put in the words that who do you think he is that kind of thing but it doesn’t benefit no parties

SB: What headspace were you and when you tweeted that

IT: Probably a reckless one really

SB: How are you feeling thinking

IT: I don’t care attitude I’d say kind of a defense mechanism against pretty much yeah against everybody like even like little things like for the whole situation not not like my friends my friends my friends the one I sit with better people I chill with all the time but it’s even that one that goes I don’t know if it’s just me thinking side of things but it’s like when I go certain places like maybe some people don’t want to be associated with me in a certain way of obviously because the media kind of thing and it’s kind of like not killing that image but it’s kind of like you’re doing this guy he’s a match fixer his match fixing football the I’m not even like I remember at the time when there was allegations I wanted to go to a restaurant and I was like no you can’t uh we’re not taking you

SB: The restaurant?

IT: A restaurant. I was like what do you mean that’s ours because the allegations we’re not allowing you in or something like this I was actually so confused I was thinking for starters it’s allegations and secondly your restaurant how can you not let somebody introduce a bad press that’s what they call it bad press I was just baffled and even to like my car insurance they wouldn’t insult me due to the whole scandal I was just like a car insurance they don’t want me on their books because, it was baffling

SB: I read through the the whole um fa report many many pages I think it was like 2500 pages I have it here just to understand the case better just so I made sure I didn’t make any errors in my observations but there’s no I think there’s actually a line in there where the commissions say they um didn’t believe you were doing any match fixing

IT: it was far from match fixing

SB: yeah I wrote that down in my in my notes that um they concluded that you hadn’t been match fixing or anything like that in the report um so that that allegation from whoever said that the restaurant or whatever um doesn’t seem to have a basis in the report at all

IT: I’m sure there was certain articles on saying match fixing as well which is that’s probably the media for you making it a big talking point.

SB: When the fa first Contact you and and they ask they make a request for information don’t they so they want to know more information this is dating back to 2022 I believe when you get that first Contact how does that feel like your dad or your agent must have told you that the FA have been in touch

IT: Well they wanted information from as far back as 2015. So it’s kind of like well I haven’t got that uh I had back then to give you information but I wanted to cooperate how I can to let you investigate what you want to investigate and when I was when I the club actually pulled me into a room and they spoke to me and said the FA are in touch with you match fixing this and that they want to speak to you and I said okay this is Brentford yeah that’s okay no problem like then he is that have you done any bits whilst you’ve been at Brentford and have you been betting on football and I was like no I haven’t done no bets are fixing football match fixing football like he’s like okay well therefore I want to speak to you don’t delete nothing on your phone because there’s a system like they said they can get like old messages or whatever they said I said no problem I’m not I’m not deleting nothing if they can go through what they want to go through

SB: And then they called you in for an interview in May 2022 and they ask you all these questions again about what you’ve been involved in with betting etc

IT: Yeah and they asked me certain things happen like I said seven/eight years ago onto the top of my head so much information in front of me at one time it’s kind of like actually can’t remember I can’t remember and there’s I think I was in there for like what five hours

SB: But at that time you maintained to them that you’re not betting on football

IT: Yeah and I was I wasn’t aware what that was what they was trying to get at

SB: You acknowledged later on that you basically lied in that meeting with the FA

IT: I didn’t lie I just couldn’t really remember what what they was asking for at the time I couldn’t remember until they brought certain things in front of me and it was kind of like okay he’s talking about my memory and we like I said I cooperate with everything they wanted to do and we kind of spoke on it and then I told him the truth about everything

SB: One of the things people might find surprising is they they asked for your they asked for your mobile phones and stuff and then they like image your mobile phones to check like all the messages you’ve sent to people going back a long time on these phones to find out everything you’ve been said and also as you said they they ask you not to delete any messages which you didn’t from what the commission said um but how does that feel when the FA asks for your mobile phone and they you know they’re going to scan it for everything

IT: It doesn’t feel yeah it’s just kind of like it’s your privacy and they’re like invading it it’s kind of like I’ve got certain pictures on there I won’t want them to see like these kind of things so it’s pretty much like you have to go with what they’re saying otherwise I feel like I think you get a longer ban for not cooperating or something like this so what what can I do yes you want to take my phone take my phone

SB: And all your bank statements as well they also your bank statements which you handed over as you hand it over I believe multiple phones

IT: No just one phone

SB: Oh just the one

IT: Yeah

SB: I thought there was a there was some

IT: They said that was another phone but that wasn’t that much fun I had that as well

SB: And then eventually you admit to 232 breaches of their rules and their rule E8 um which is betting over five seasons from 25th of February 2017 to betting up until January 21.

IT: Yes and like I said there was people saying I was match fixing but none of it was match fixing it was just like I said before I was betting myself to score first from I think this was a while back and it’s kind of like that’s not like I’m not trying to not try and I’m still trying to do the right thing it’s not like I’m smashing someone and getting a yellow card here then everywhere

SB: Yeah and the report actually does say that it says that you weren’t you weren’t this the commission said that
gambling and you weren’t match fixing which is a completely different completely different thing yeah they’re making bets on like games that you’re either you’re playing in on yourself to school all betting on the team when you’re not in the team which is what from what I read which is what what happened gambling and generally when did that start in your life when did you start first gambling

IT: Um I think it’s just kind of like as you’re young it’s like a little flutter they call it like you’re in like the fair arcade kind of thing just trying to win a little change or something or these kind of things so I’d say like around 15 or 15 and such and it

SB: And it got progressively worse

IT: Yeah I’d say the more money you get the more the higher the stakes go that’s kind of like oh if I lose this it’s fine this is coming next month was

SB: Did you not realize you know throughout those sort of five years when you were betting a lot 232 breaches that your relationship with betting was unhealthy

IT: I think on the 200 and what was it 32 breaches like that was there was some bets in there that I don’t recall making that that but I was willing to take responsibility just to get the process all over and done with because having that hovering over me and trying to concentrate my career is not is not the best feeling far from the best feeling and I’ve done well to finish on 20 goals if that hanging over me but in terms of thinking do you have a problem it’s kind of like you don’t think of if I lose this this is gonna happen so it’s like oh once I won this this this and this can happen you never think of the negatives you’d always think of the positives and being on the money I was on which affords a lot of time and it’s kind of like it’s fine I’ll get there in the back end of the month oh that’s coming back this and this month oh he owes me this it’s fine

GAMBLING HELP

Problems with gambling can harm your health and relationships, and leave you in serious debt.

If your gambling is causing problems for you or your loved ones and you’d like to stop, support and treatment is available.

Are you having problems with gambling?

Try this questionnaire:

Do you bet more than you can afford to lose?

Do you need to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling?

Have you tried to win back money you have lost (chasing losses)?

Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?

Have you wondered whether you have a problem with gambling?

Has your gambling caused you any health problems, including feelings of stress or anxiety?

Have other people criticised your betting or told you that you had a problem with gambling (regardless of whether or not you thought it was true)?

Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household?

Have you ever felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble?

Score 0 for each time you answer “never”
Score 1 for each time you answer “sometimes”
Score 2 for each time you answer “most of the time”
Score 3 for each time you answer “almost always”

If your total score is 8 or higher, your gambling might be causing problems for you or those closest to you.