Gareth Southgate criticised the wide-reaching nature of Ivan Toney’s eight-month betting ban and told the suspended England striker he can still make next summer’s Euros.
The 27-year-old made his international debut as a substitute against Ukraine in March’s Euro 2024 qualifier but the Brentford star will not be able play for club or country again this year.
Toney was charged with 262 betting offences at the end of 2022 and was last week hit with an eight-month Football Association ban after admitting 232 breaches.
The striker starts the suspension by watching the end of the campaign and England’s June qualifiers from afar, with Southgate raising concerns about the sweeping impact of the ban.
“I have spoken with him,” the England boss said. “I don’t know if that’s allowed, by the way, but f it isn’t then they can ban me and not add to his.
“Look, the ban is the ban. It is what it is. I think he recognised and accepted the punishment.
“What bothers me is we’ve got to look after people. He’s injured at the moment, what does he do about getting fit? What does he do?
“How do we give him some structure over the next few months that he can develop himself or be a better person at the end of it? Or have experiences that he might not experience?
“I don’t like the idea that we just leave somebody, so that they are 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.
“But he knows that we picked him because we felt until there was a charge, he should be allowed to play.
“When he comes back, if he plays well then we’ll pick him.
“It won’t have any bearing but I think he’ll have additional motivation through what he is experiencing. I think he is a resilient guy with great character and we are here to support him.”
Toney is prohibited from training until September 17 and cannot play football again until January 17, 2024.
There is only four-and-a-half months between the striker’s return and the Euros kicking off in Germany, but Southgate says the door remains open for him.
Asked if Toney can still make the tournament in Germany, the England boss said: “Yeah, without a doubt.
“It is not ideal because he is going to miss a large chunk of the season and you don’t know after that sort of period out how physically he’s going to adapt and how he’s going to play.
“But it’s possible for him. There would still be time.
“He’s really impressed us with the way he’s played.
“I like personality, I like his belief and the way he goes about his job, so everything is still possible for him I think.”
Kilmarnock 0-5 Celtic: Bhoys capture third straight Scottish Premiership title
Celtic have won the Scottish Premiership for the third consecutive season after a dominant 5-0 win at Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
Rangers beat Dundee United 5-2 on Tuesday to make Celtic wait an extra day to secure another league title, but the Hoops brushed aside Kilmarnock with little fuss.
Adam Idah, Daizen Maeda and James Forrest scored in a dominant first half, with Matt O'Riley helping himself to a brace after the interval to cap a memorable display.
Celtic now have an unassailable six-point lead over their Old Firm rivals with one game to play, and they will celebrate their latest crown at home to St Mirren on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Bhoys closing in on rivals
Celtic have won the Scottish title for the 54th time, pulling them within one of rivals Rangers, who have lifted 55.
They have also finished top of the pile in 12 of the last 13 seasons, their only failure to lift the trophy since 2011 coming when Steven Gerrard's Rangers went unbeaten in 2020-21.
Good to be back: Cameron expresses joy, optimism as World Cup Girlz, JFF reconciled
For Tiffany Cameron, the past eight months have been a rollercoaster ride filled with uncertainty and challenges. But as she prepares to step back onto the international stage with Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz, the excitement and anticipation are palpable.
The return of Cameron, and other members of the senior Reggae Girlz 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad, comes after a prolonged dispute with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), which kept her sidelined from international duty.
They last represented the island in the Olympic Games qualifying playoff away to Canada, last September, but later withdrew their services citing a lack of payment and mistreatment from the country’s governing football body among their reasons.
With things now back to some semblance of normalcy, Cameron is eager to get going again, after the lengthy pause, as she also expressed delight at the prospects ahead.
“It always brings joy to my heart to represent Jamaica. It is a special opportunity, and at the same time, international duty is my home away from home,” Cameron told SportsMax.TV from her base in Spain.
“At times it was very difficult for me to accept that sometimes things behind the scenes with our federation and World Cup players were out of my control, but I knew things would fall into place eventually. While away, I still tuned into our (Jamaica’s) games whenever they were streamed online, and I was impressed by some of the young talent we have. It’s important to take note that everyone in our pool of players matters and can contribute in their own way. Having a larger pool of players will make our squad more competitive,” she added.
While her time away from the national team was difficult, Cameron's form at Real Betis in the Liga F has been on the up, as she heads the team’s scoring chart with six goals, despite playing lesser minutes than her strike partners.
In fact, the Canada-born player readily admitted adjusting to the style of play and the language barrier in Spain hasn't been easy, even moreso as her team has experienced a series of changes, both on and off the field. They are currently 12th on the standing.
Still, the experienced 32-year-old, who has paraded her skills in several countries across the world, is grateful, as always, for the opportunity to grow as a player.
“It’s challenging sometimes playing in Europe. As a black professional athlete, I am constantly having to adapt to different cultures and sometimes I miss being around those who share the same cultural background as me. It’s also a lot more challenging to score here because there were so many changes in the summer, eight players left and a whole new staff arrived. We’ve had to practically build a new team, but I believe if we stay in the league, I will score more goals next season and we will be higher in the table,” Cameron shared.
“The new coach has helped improve our situation on and off the field and I am very pleased about this. Since he has arrived, we have played six games under him, we won three, tied two and lost one. I’ve also managed to score three important goals in these six games, and I was selected by the league as MVP for two games. Those (MVP awards) meant a lot to me, and it is safe to say that I have proven my value in this environment,” she declared.
After such an intense period, a change of environment is always good for the mind, but Cameron has no intentions of easing up, especially with the Girlz first assignment back being a two-match friendly away to World Cup foes Brazil on June 1 and June 3.
Both teams crossed path at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups where Brazil won the first meeting 3-0, while the Girlz battled gallantly for a goalless stalemate last year, which booked their spot in the Round of 16.
“I’m excited to build from the World Cup because now we have a mix of World Cup players, a few new players and some young talent. It will be interesting to see how we progress, and we know we have two very challenging games ahead. We have to stay patient and disciplined defensively and know when it’s time to threaten Brazil’s backline,” she reasoned.
With Hubert Busby back at the helm as head coach of the Reggae Girlz, Cameron, who is one of 18 players of the World Cup squad called up for the Brazil games, is filled with optimism, and also has high expectations for both the coach and the team.
“In 2020 coach Busby was building a healthier foundation on and off the field for the Reggae Girlz. I expect him to continue to do that and I’m pleased to have him back. In a way this decision holds close to my heart because he was the coach who initially recruited me to play for Jamaica,” Cameron noted.
“He believed in my capabilities and knew I would bring value to the squad. That said, I expect communication and conditions to improve amongst players, staff and the federation moving forward,” she ended.
Premier League clubs to vote on scrapping VAR after Wolves proposal
Premier League clubs will be asked to vote on the prospect of scrapping VAR for next season following a proposal from Wolves.
The use of VAR in the Premier League has been a talking point since its introduction at the start of the 2019-20 season, with a number of controversial decisions intensifying the debate surrounding its use this term.
Wolves have been on the wrong end of several contentious decisions this season, starting from their opening game last August, as Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) representative Jon Moss apologised for a failure to award them a penalty during a 1-0 loss to Manchester United.
More recently, Wolves saw a potential stoppage-time equaliser against West Ham disallowed for a subjective offside call against Tawanda Chirewa, with boss Gary O'Neil given a one-match ban for a post-match outburst towards referee Tony Harrington.
Nottingham Forest have also been angered by several decisions in recent weeks, while PGMOL memorably apologised to Liverpool after Luis Diaz saw a goal wrongly disallowed in a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham last September.
Wolves have now tabled a resolution calling for VAR to be abolished, with clubs set to vote on the issue at an annual general meeting on June 6. Premier League rules require 14 of 20 clubs to vote in favour of a proposal for it to pass.
In a widely reported statement, Wolves said VAR had been introduced "in good faith and with the best interests of football and the Premier League at heart" but lamented a number of negative repercussions.
The club say VAR has caused frustration and confusion among match-going fans, negatively impacted the atmosphere at games, diminished accountability of match officials and overreached beyond its original aim to correct "clear and obvious" errors.
Wolves also said persistent errors being made despite the presence of VAR were difficult to accept and had furthered "completely nonsensical" allegations of corruption from supporters.
The club added: "Our position is that the price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game, and as a result we should remove it from the 2024-25 season onwards."
A Premier League spokesperson said: "The Premier League can confirm it will facilitate a discussion on VAR with our clubs at the annual general meeting next month.
"Clubs are entitled to put forward proposals at shareholders' meetings and we acknowledge the concerns and issues around the use of VAR.
"However, the league fully supports the use of VAR and remains committed, alongside PGMOL, to make continued improvements to the system for the benefit of the game and fans."
Sweden recently became the first country to opt against the implementation of VAR at the top level following a fan backlash.
Wolves boss O'Neil has repeatedly spoken out against the use of VAR since saying the award of two controversial penalties to Fulham in a 3-2 loss last November had turned him against the technology.
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