Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo has been given a suspended five-month ban by the Football Association (FA) after admitting 375 breaches of betting rules.
The 27-year-old, who joined Forest from Huddersfield Town in January, was charged by the FA in July and admitted to placing bets on football matches between January 22, 2014 and March 18, 2017.
The breaches included betting on matches involving Forest, as well as matches that he was involved in playing.
Toffolo has been fined £20,956 and the ban will be suspended until the end of the 2024-25 season.
In a statement, the FA said: “The FA’s regulatory commission has suspended the five-month playing ban for a period of two years, commencing on 13 September 2023, such that the ban will only be activated if Mr Toffolo commits a further breach of FA Rule E8 within that time period.”
Toffolo said: “I accept the decision of the FA and I am sorry for the mistakes I have made. I have learned from this experience and I will not make the same mistakes again.”
Forest manager Steve Cooper said: “We are disappointed with the FA’s decision, but we respect it. Harry has admitted his mistakes and he has been punished accordingly.
“We are confident that Harry will learn from this and that he will continue to be a valuable member of our squad.”
Toffolo is the latest footballer to be banned for betting breaches. In recent years, several high-profile players, including Wayne Rooney, Joey Barton and Matt Le Tissier, have been punished by the FA for betting on football matches.
The FA has a strict policy on betting, and players are prohibited from betting on any football-related activity, including matches, players, competitions and results.
The FA’s rules are designed to protect the integrity of the game and to ensure that players are not influenced by betting.