- The Nottingham Forest defender has been charged for breaking betting rules
- The charge comes less than two months after Ivan Toney received a lengthy ban
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’
Nottingham Forest Harry Toffolo has been given a suspended five-month ban and a £20,956 fine by the FA for breaching betting rules.
However, if he breaches rules again, the defender’s five-month suspended ban will come into effect.
In a statement in July, the FA claimed that Toffolo’s had allegedly broken betting rules 375 times over a three-year period, which stretched from 22 January 2014 – when the player was on Norwich’s books – up until 18 March 2017.
In a new statement on Wednesday, they confirmed: ‘Nottingham Forest’s Harry Toffolo has been given a five-month suspension, which has been suspended until the end of the 2024/25 season, and £20,956.22 fine for misconduct in relation to our betting rules.
‘The defender admitted that he breached FA Rule E1(b) 375 times between 22 January 2014 and 18 March 2017, and an independent Regulatory Commission imposed his sanctions following a hearing.
Nottingham Forest’s Harry Toffolo has been handed a suspended ban by the FA for admitting to a breach of betting rules from 2014-2017
‘The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for these decisions will be published in due course’.
Toffolo, 27, was a consistent feature in Forest’s side last season and made 21 appearances in total throughout 2022-23.
The FA revealed that Toffolo’s breach of betting rules happened between 22 January 2014 and 18 March 2017.
In 2014-15 he was on loan at Swindon before playing at both Rotherham and Peterborough 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.
The incident comes four months after Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney was handed a staggering eight-month ban from football for breaking 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.
Toffolo made 21 appearances in all competitions for Forest during the 2022-23 campaign
Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney has been banned from football for betting offences
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.
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 was not even be permitted to train with Brentford until September, which left him with no option but to work out on his own in order to stay fit.
In addition to missing Toney’s goals and link-up play – his tally of 20 made him the third-highest scorer in the Premier League last 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.