His team chairman Thomas Frank said the eight-month suspension of Brentford striker Ivan Toni was a “big reminder” that the relationship between football and the gambling industry needed to be reconsidered.
On Friday, it was revealed that Toney had received a reduced ban Because of a diagnosed gambling addiction.
“The relationship between football and gambling needs to be reviewed,” Frank said.
“We had a great reminder. The authorities have a huge job to make sure we do it better.”
Tony was charged with 262 betting offenses at the end of 2022 and was banned last week after admitting 232 offenses.
He is banned from training until September 17 and cannot play football again until January 17, 2024.
“Yes, Ivan did something wrong but what I didn’t understand was how could you not allow him to participate in football at all for the first four months?” Frank said.
“What do you make of it? If you want to rehabilitate the people you give an education to, you do something, and now it’s up to it alone.
“There is no doubt for me that in the first four months of his football he should be forced to go to 100 schools to tell them about football and his background, that’s what he should work with, but I’m a football coach, what do I know?
His comments come after support from England manager Gareth Southgate this week.
On Wednesday, after naming his England squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, Southgate said: “What bothers me is we have to take care of people. He’s injured at the moment, what does he do about fitness?”
“How do we give him some organization over the next few months so he can develop himself or eventually be a better person?
“I don’t like the idea of leaving someone out, so they are not allowed to be part of the football community.
“I don’t think that’s the way we should operate, and I don’t think that’s the way the best rehabilitation programs are going to work.”
Frank agreed with the England coach and added: “It was a great point; if you want to rehabilitate people, you give them an education. Are we doing enough to educate our players?”
“Now that we have everything, we will put the plan together to do everything we can to support Ivan.
“If I can’t talk to him, I guess they’ll have to ban me too. If I’m not allowed to support him, then something must be wrong.
“I guess you’re allowed to contact people even when they’re in jail, right? So I guess I’m allowed to.”
Football and gambling
In March, it was reported that Brentford was considering severing ties with the Hollywood Bets who have been the group’s main sponsor since July 2021.
A month later, the Premier League clubs collectively He agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their everyday shirts at the end of the 2025-26 season.
However, after the deadline, clubs will still be able to continue to display gambling brands in areas such as shirt sleeves and LED advertising.
And clubs will be allowed to secure new forward deals before the deadline.
Eight top-flight clubs – Bournemouth, Brentford, Everton, Fulham, Leeds, Newcastle, Southampton and West Ham – have gambling businesses on the front of their shirts, worth an estimated £60m a year.
