Ivan Toney ban means football addicts won't come forward warns Arsenal legend Paul Merson

Last month, the 27-years old Brentford and England striker received an eight month suspension from all football-related activity for breaching FA betting rules. An independent regulatory commission imposed Toney's sanctions meaning he will not be permitted to train with his Brentford team-mates until September 17th. Toney, 27, had been charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches with Toney admitting to the remaining 232.

In its written reasons explaining the ban, which could have been as much as 15 months, the independent commission stated, "a significant reduction should be made to reflect the diagnosed gambling addiction identified."

But former Arsenal and England star Merson, who was in Derry on Monday to speak about his own struggle against gambling, alcohol and drug addiction, believes the decision sends the wrong message to those who may need help.

"I don't think there’s much help. If you’re struggling with gambling now and you're a professional footballer, you’re not going to come out. Where do you go? You can't go anywhere," explained Merson

"Somebody's just got an eight month ban. Where is the message in that? That means people are just going to have to suffer and suffer.

"Taking away football is removing a massive crutch and I just don't understand it, I really don't. It disappoints me in a big way. If that person was on drugs, they would be put into a treatment centre for a month and they would be drug tested every day for the next year and they would be able to carry on playing football."

"There was no message; or the message sent by what happened with Ivan Toney was that if you gamble you are getting majorly punished," continued Merson, "How are you going to get people to come out? You're not.

"This is the problem. This is why people don't come out. The addiction tells you, if I come out I'm going to get sacked. Now that could be someone on a building site, it could be someone in an office, wherever, but that's their fear. That's their addiction telling them, 'Don't tell anyone' and that keeps the addiction in control.

"People think you serve a ban, then come back and it's done. I mean, you sit at home for the next God knows how long and just do what you want. What's he going to do? You've just taken away another addiction - football. He loves playing football, he wants to play football and that will help. Sitting indoors won't help."

The former Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth star said he wasn't surprised to hear his former team-mate and current England manager, Gareth Southgate take a more sympathetic stance to Toney's plight after he said football must "look after" the striker.

"Gareth Southgate spoke well," added Merson, who has 21 England caps, "I played with Gareth at Aston Villa and Gareth is clued in. He talked well which didn't shock me one bit. He was very good with me when I was at Villa. He understands, but I just don't see how the ban sends a good message.

"There is still a stigma. Nearly every adult in the country has had a drink, and most have probably been drunk at one stage or another, so when it is drinking people go, 'Woah, I can see how that gets out of hand'. And they accept that.

"But there are a lot of people who haven't got a clue how to put a bet on. People will look and say, you don't have to put anything in your body, just show a bit of will power. Well, try will power the next time you get diarrhoea. See if will power stops it."

And Merson, who has used his own experiences to speak publicly about the impact addiction can have on families and communities, revealed he has never been asked by a football club to give a talk on the dangers of gambling.

"I’ve never ever been asked to go into any football club. I don't think they’re interested in gambling," he admitted, "I honestly don't know what sort of support networks there are at football clubs these days and I don't see how it can change now that Ivan Toney has got eight months.

"Anybody suffering out there now, no way they are going to come forward. They can't come forward because they are going to get banned. They are going to take their livelihood away and if you are not a good player, then you're sacked. Ivan Toney is a good player.

"I had this conversation with George Graham many years ago. I said to him, you gave me a million chances, why have you never thrown me out of the club? And these are his words, not mine; 'If you have a Rolls Royce and it breaks down, you get it fixed. If you have a Morris Minor and it breaks down, you f**k it off.'

"Now, I don't know how you come out. If it was me now, and I was suffering, and I was still playing and gambling, I'd be petrified. I couldn't come out. I'd be thinking I'm going to get banned, but I love football, that's my life. The perception is they are saying, 'You're weak because you could stop this if you wanted' and that's just not the case.

"Addicts are not bad people trying to be good. They are ill people who need to get well very quickly."