Brentford and England’s star striker, Ivan Toney, has opened up about the heartache he felt when he missed out on the opportunity to represent his country at the 2022 World Cup.
Despite currently serving an eight-month ban for breaking betting rules, Toney believes that being excluded from Gareth Southgate’s squad was a more significant punishment.
In November, Toney admitted to 232 breaches of Football Association regulations, which led to his suspension.
His absence from the World Cup squad was justified by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham, who cited “footballing grounds” as the reason for his exclusion.
Toney’s remarkable performance in the Premier League last season, where he finished as the third-highest scorer with 20 goals, couldn’t secure him a place on the international stage.
The 27-year-old forward expressed his deep disappointment in missing out on the chance to compete in Qatar, especially since England managed to reach the quarter-finals.
He shared his thoughts on the Kick Game YouTube channel, saying, “Even though I’m missing eight months of football, I feel like that was a bigger punishment, missing out on the World Cup, everybody’s dream. I believe in myself and hopefully I’ll be at the next one.”
Toney made his debut for the England national team as a substitute in the 2-0 Euro 2024 qualifying victory over Ukraine last March.
His initial call-up to Southgate’s squad came in September of the previous year.
Although he received a reduced ban due to a diagnosed gambling addiction, Toney will only be able to resume training with Brentford in mid-September and won’t be eligible to play again until January.
Brentford has expressed their commitment to supporting Toney during this challenging period, while England manager, Gareth Southgate, emphasized the importance of standing by the player during his time away from the game.
Toney remains determined and resilient, stating, “I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me, but I’m just going to focus on when I come back to training. I’m going to be a different animal when I come back. Playing in the league, it’s going to be frightening.”
