Why the media must do better by Ivan Toney
The reasons regarding Brentford striker, Ivan Toney’s, ban from football were released this morning by The FA, and the media narrative is unacceptable.
“Banned footballer bets on own team to lose,” read a headline plastered onto Sky News’ official Twitter account this morning after The FA published written reasons regarding Ivan Toney’s 8-month ban from footballing activities.
A clickbait headline from an esteemed broadcaster designed to evoke a reaction from the public. Of course, if you read the article published by Sky, you’ll quickly find that Toney did not play in any of the 13 games in which he placed a bet on his parent club (Newcastle) or his loan club (Wigan) to lose.
It would be fascinating to know the thought process of the editors at Sky News. Perhaps it went something like this:
‘This footballer has just been diagnosed with a serious gambling addiction and has also been suspended from his job for 8 months. I know! Let’s tweet out an ambiguous headline that falsely portrays him as a match-fixer. Seeing yourself vilified on the front pages – what a form of therapy!’
The epitome of hitting a man when he’s down.
Why are the British media so eager to sink a rising star? Someone who has been in the form of his career – only bested by Harry Kane and Erling Haaland in goal tally – and someone who could potentially be leading the line for the national team in the not-so-distant future.
The 25-page report from The FA details the specifics of Toney’s betting breaches. Of the 232 charges, 126 bets were placed in the same competition that his club were competing in, with 29 placed in games directly involving his club. In the aforementioned 13 games in which Toney placed a bet on his own team to lose, he was not involved in any of them.
Toney placed 16 bets on his own team to win 15 different matches; he played in 11 of those games.
These 29 bets were deemed the most egregious by the Independent Regulatory Commission overseeing Toney’s case.
“The prohibition on football betting by Participants is necessary to protect the integrity of the game and to maintain public confidence in football.” Similar to Kieran Trippier’s case in 2021, Toney had information which wasn’t available to the public – namely, that he was or was not playing – and utilised that information to place bets. That much is clear.
The Brentford striker had also been attempting to conceal his gambling activities from The FA by involving third parties, and initially denying the allegations in his first interview with the Commission.
In light of these facts, it’s clear that Toney is in the wrong. The rules are the rules, and from the report, it’s apparent that he was fully aware of them: “Yes, you guys used to come at Peterborough when I was there to say you can’t bet on football,” Toney says.
The question is then, why break them?
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) – used by psychiatric professionals – defines gambling addiction in a similar fashion to drug addiction. Words like ‘impulsive’, ‘obsessive’, and ‘dependence’, are all mentioned.
The odd fiver on an accumulator every weekend can, for some, lead to disastrous repercussions. The habit turns into compulsion, the compulsion to impulsion, and impulsion to addiction. It can ruin lives, relationships and much more.
It’s why a professional footballer at the very top of his game would breach betting rules knowing that it could put his career at risk.
On the extreme end, “in treatment populations, about half of those with gambling disorder have suicidal ideation, and about 18% have attempted suicide.”
The British press has experience in pushing celebrities to the brink, which makes the headlines this morning about Toney even more troubling. Hyperbolic, yes, but still, the reports this morning paint Toney out to be something he is not, and that kind of shoddy journalism perhaps threatens the integrity of the media in the same way Toney’s bets threaten the integrity of football.
Thomas Frank expressed similar concerns about Toney’s welfare before Brentford’s outing against Spurs last weekend, outlining the striker’s mental health as paramount. Sky News obviously didn’t get the memo.
Gareth Southgate, in his press conference yesterday, echoed that sentiment.
“What bothers me is that we’ve got to look after people. I don’t like the idea that we just leave somebody; that they’re not allowed to be a part of the football community. I don’t think that’s how we should work. I don’t think that’s how the best rehabilitation programmes would work,” he said.
When the head coach of the England national team – in many ways, one of the spokespersons for The FA – comes out and says he doesn’t like the idea of a complete ban from football, it might be time to start reforming the terms of punishment. And there should be a punishment, but the severity of the sanction must be rethought.
The report also mentions that while Toney has ceased betting on football, “he still gambles on other sports and casino games.” So, The FA have just given a millionaire footballer with a gambling addiction 8 months to sit at home doing nothing – a fabulous idea.
Berating him in the media is a good way of deterring Toney from playing again. And it’s not just the headlines themselves that do so. In the same breath, Sky News and the multiple other news outlets running the same misleading headlines, completely disparage Toney, and also encourage the keyboard circus to come out in full force.
“7/1 for him to say it’s not his fault.”
“Any tips Toney?”
https://twitter.com/twrIdd/status/1662047884647313408
Imagine what it would be like to see people having a laugh online over your mental health; to see your struggles memed and mocked. A pat on the back for the journalist who wrote that headline, and subjected Toney to the derision he’s since received.
Perhaps if it was a different kind of mental health illness in question, the narrative would be different. But the statistics mentioned demonstrate that a gambling addiction is a very serious health concern, with sometimes devastating consequences. We don’t laugh at people with drug addictions or depression, so why should we laugh at those struggling with similar mental health issues?
We have to protect the players, both on and off the pitch. That means proper counselling and proper journalism.
It also means rethinking the relationship between football and the gambling industry from top to bottom. There’s an addiction culture in the UK when it comes to football: with alcohol, with drugs, and with gambling.
The gambling advertisements that air before, during, and after games come across so appealing, from the language used to the images displayed. But somehow the tagline at the end – “But remember, gamble responsibly” – negates the possibility of people becoming addicted.
What does The FA expect? There are millions of people around the country hooked on the high of gambling, but the players – who lead the most abnormal lives, and who are idolised seemingly without consent – are immune? Not only do we expect them to be immune, but we’ll also punish them if they get caught in its trap.
Toney is the latest casualty, and he won’t be the last. But the media, the fans and the football industry must do better to ensure that people with a gambling addiction aren’t brandished as outcasts, and left out to dry.
The Brentford striker will be eligible to play again in January 2024. Hopefully, by then he hasn’t become completely disillusioned with the game, and will have journalists writing the headlines he deserves.
