According to reliable sources from Sky Sports News, the Football Association (FA) intends to request FIFA’s endorsement for a global sanction on Ivan Toney, following his eight-month ban from football. Toney, the Brentford striker, recently received a suspension effective immediately until January 16, 2024. Additionally, he was fined £50,000 after confessing to 232 violations of the FA’s betting regulations. Notably, this punishment currently applies exclusively to English football.
In light of this situation, the FA has considered the possibility of Toney being loaned to a foreign club during his suspension. However, such a move would require the FA to transfer the player’s registration to the acquiring club. As soon as this hypothetical scenario materializes, the FA would duly notify both the relevant foreign FA and FIFA about Toney’s football ban in England. Consequently, FIFA, as a standard procedure, would likely extend the ban globally. Nonetheless, for the sake of transparency, it is understood that the FA will officially apply to FIFA to ensure universal recognition of Toney’s punishment.
Subsequently, FIFA would review the FA’s actions by establishing its own disciplinary committee to deliberate on the matter. Nevertheless, there are no clear precedents where FIFA has refused to endorse a worldwide ban in similar circumstances. Notably, Kieran Trippier and Daniel Sturridge encountered situations where they were playing abroad when they faced sanctions for betting rule violations in England. Sturridge was required to terminate his contract with Trabzonspor in 2020, while Trippier was absent from Atletico Madrid’s matches for ten weeks in early 2021.
A relevant example can be seen in the case of Fabio Paratici, the former managing director of football at Tottenham. Paratici received a 30-month ban from the Italian Football Federation for his alleged involvement in financial irregularities at Juventus. Consequently, he voluntarily resigned from his position at Spurs, even though technically, his ban was limited to Italy. If he had continued his role at Tottenham, FIFA would have intervened. On appeal, Paratici’s punishment has since been reduced.
Source: Sky Sports
