Ivan Toney opens up on England World Cup snub - "Someone is out to get me"
He vowed to “speak soon with no filter," and now the banned Ivan Toney has done just that by firing shots at the Football Association over his omission from England's World Cup squad last year.
The Brentford striker is currently serving an eight-month ban from football, having pleaded guilty to 232 betting offences that took place between 2017 and 2021. That decision, however, was only taken in May, some six months after news of the allegations became public.
The timing could not have been more detrimental for Toney, having hit 32 Premier League goals in the two seasons since the Bees were promoted under Thomas Frank. He'd previously been called up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for Nations League fixtures with Italy and Germany, and despite being unused was right in the frame for a spot on the plane to Qatar.
But the striker was left at home, and despite Southgate insisting the decision was purely based on football reasons, debate over whether the 27-year-old was being punished ignited. And now Toney himself has opened up on his anger at the timing of the revelations, arguing "someone is out to get me" as he counts down the days until January 2024.
Speaking to Dragons' Den star and successful business leader Steven Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO podcast, Toney, who has since been capped by Southgate against the Ukraine in March, was asked directly why he felt he was snubbed for international football's biggest party. "I guess it comes down to the allegations from the betting scandal," he replied.
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"But personally, I felt like it was a bit of a questionable time when they decided to bring it all out, only to then actually deal with the situation at the end of the season. It was kind of like: 'Why did you bring it out then wait to punish me?'"
Pressed as to whether he felt the allegations were deliberately leaked ahead of England's squad for Qatar being confirmed, Toney said: "I assume so, to make it a bigger story. I don't know if that's true, I'm not to know what's behind the scenes but I feel like if you have somebody going to the World Cup that's supposed to be betting - it's a bigger story.
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Toney scored 20 times for Brentford in the Premier League last season (Getty Images)"It was a bit of a coincidence when they decided to bring it all out. I feel like 'yes I'm banned now' but the biggest punishment for me was missing out on the World Cup. I felt more hurt around that time and I was down. I felt like 'someone is out to get me' to stop me playing for England. It doesn't add up in my head.
"It's everybody's dream to be playing at the World Cup, to miss out and then further down the line to banned as well? It's a double hit I feel. If you were gonna stop me than going to the World Cup, do it then and deal with the whole situation."
Speculation over where Toney's future lies when he returns to action in January continues to mount. The notion of remaining loyal to Frank and co will weigh heavily, but with the likes of Spurs and Chelsea in the market for a prolific striker, Toney's return will notably coincide with the next transfer window opening.
Regardless, the scars from the World Cup saga haven't diluted Toney's desire to play international football again. "Everybody wants to play for England," he added. "I remember screaming Gerrard's name and Lampard's name when I was on a field growing up, so when that opportunity came around - it didn't feel real.
"From being Ivan from Northampton, from just playing out the front and getting bashed around by the older lot, to having a chance to play for England was something I would never have dreamt of."
The chance to continue that dream should come again for Toney. But in the meantime, resentment towards those he feels denied him the chance to perform for the Three Lions on the greatest stage of all clearly remains.
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