Gareth South Gate He warned game officials that “we need to be really careful” about banning players from all football activities, as he again seemed to disagree with the Football Association on that penalty. Ivan Toney.
The Brentford forward will be banned from training for four months as part of a wider eight-month ban for violating the FA’s betting rules and England The manager had said before that he didn’t think “the best rehabilitation programs would work like that”.
“I personally stick to what I’ve said,” Southgate replied, when insisted on a later briefing. “Not being allowed to play is one thing but not being allowed to be in the football community, I think we have to be very careful when doing that.”
While Southgate reiterated that he was not critical of the ban, he said he was in constant communication with Thomas Frank on how to get Toney out of the situation.
“I don’t question the ban decision,” the England manager said. “I don’t know all the details like what they’ve been comparing to in previous cases, so all I want to say as a manager is to think about the player and how I can help a player during this period.
“Luckily, I get on very well with Thomas and we talk a lot. I think he’s at a club that will do it right. I wanted him to know it was something I was thinking about. It’s how we helped him the same way we helped him when Kieran Trippier was out of the game.”
Trippier was previously banned for 10 weeks in December 2020 for violating betting rules.
Toney made his England debut by Southgate in March despite accusations against him, and the England manager said he did not believe such punishment was the best form of rehabilitation.
“I talked to him,” Southgate said earlier when announcing his squad for the qualifying rounds against Malta and North Macedonia. “By the way, I don’t know if this is allowed. If not, they can ban me and not add me to his.
“Look, it’s forbidden. It is what it is. I think he recognized the punishment and accepted it. What bothers me is that we have to look at people. What is he doing to get in shape right now?
“What kind of structure are we going to give him in the next few months so that he can improve himself, eventually become a better person, or have experiences he couldn’t have? I don’t like the idea of leaving someone alone so they’re not allowed to be part of the football community.
“I don’t think we should work like this, I don’t think the best rehabilitation programs will work like that. But he knows we picked him because we thought he should be allowed to play until he got the offense.
Southgate gave Toney his first England cap in March
(FA via Getty Images)
“If he plays well when he comes back, we’ll get him. It won’t have an impact, but I think he’ll have additional motivation from what he’s been through. I think he’s a tough guy with a great character and we’re here to support him.”
Toney has scored 20 goals for Brentford in the Premier League this season and has been accused of breaking FA rule E8, which refers to the prohibition of players from betting on games or sharing information for betting purposes.
Toney pleaded guilty to the charges in February after being released in December 2022, but despite knowledge of ongoing hearings, Southgate opted to give the striker his first England cap against Ukraine on March 26 at Wembley.
Toney will not be able to play until January of next year, and Euro will be played in Germany that summer. When asked if the forward would be able to make up his roster for the tournament, Southgate replied: “Yeah, no doubt.
“It’s not ideal because he’s going to miss most of the season and you don’t know how he’s going to fit and play physically after that kind of period. But it’s possible for him.
“There would still be time. He really impressed us with the way he played and I love his personality. I love his faith and the way he does his job. So I think anything is still possible with him.”
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