Chelsea target Ivan Toney has been banned from all football activity for eight months for breaching FA betting rules in a devastating blow for the player and his club Brentford.

Toney had pleaded guilty to the majority of the 262 betting charges brought by the FA last year, with an independent disciplinary commission imposing an eight-month suspension and £50,000 fine following a hearing this week.

In announcing Toney’s punishment on Wednesday the FA revealed that Toney had admitted to 232 of the 262 charges, with the governing body withdrawing the others.

The ban will prevent Toney from playing until 16 January next year and is longer than was expected, reflecting both the number of breaches and the fact that the bets were placed over an extended four-year period between February 2017 and January 2021.

In another shock development Toney will not even be permitted to train with Brentford until September, leaving him with no option but to work out on his own in order to stay fit.

Toney’s ban begins immediately and is likely to impact on Brentford’s attempt to secure European football for the first time by winning their final two games of the season.

Thomas Frank’s side face Tottenham on Saturday and Manchester City on the final day of the campaign and are currently four points behind seventh-placed Aston Villa, a position which would give them a place in next season’s Europa Conference League.