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Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been hit with an eight-month ban after admitting breaches of betting rules. Toney was charged by the Football Association last November for 262 alleged breaches over a four-year period. The 27-year-old – who made his long-awaited England debut in March – admitted to 232 of the counts, with 30 having been subsequently withdrawn. Following a personal hearing an independent regulatory commission imposed Toney’s sanctions, which included a £50,000 fine. He will not be able to play until January 17, 2024, but can train with Brentford from September 17. “Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of the FA’s betting rules,” an FA statement read. “The Brentford FC forward was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232. “His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent regulatory commission following a personal hearing. He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from 17 September 2023.” The written reasons behind the decision of the independent regulatory commission are to be published “in due course” and will be reviewed by both the FA and Brentford. The Bees chose to make no further comment and will be “considering our next steps”, which could include an appeal against the suspension. Toney scored 20 Premier League goals for the Bees this season, but will now sit out the remaining two matches – at Tottenham and then home to leaders Manchester City – as Thomas Frank’s side look to consolidate a top-10 finish. The loss of Toney, though, is likely to be more keenly felt at the start of the next campaign. Speaking last December following the announcement of the FA’s charges, Frank had been questioned on what the club might do should Toney end up facing a lengthy suspension. “We don’t have anything specific lined up if something should happen,” Frank said. “We are always in the market, we always try to improve the squad so, of course, we are aware of players out there and we have a plan we are following, but no specific one for potentially replacing Ivan.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fit-again Jonny Bairstow ‘buzzing’ to return to England squad after ‘dark times’ James Milner and Roberto Firmino among four leaving Liverpool this summer McGregor’s documentary and Coric’s ice cream love – Wednesday’s sporting social

James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita will all leave Liverpool when their contracts expire at the end of the season. Milner and Firmino joined the Reds in June 2015 and both played in the 2019 Champions League final victory over Tottenham. Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived in June 2017 and Keita the following summer, with the quartet all playing their part in the Reds’ Premier League title win in the 2019-20 campaign. A Liverpool statement said: “We can confirm Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave the club upon the expiry of their contracts this summer. “Special acknowledgements will be paid to the quartet at Anfield, with further tributes to follow at the end of the season.” Milner, 37, has been linked with moves to Brighton and hometown club Leeds after spending eight years at Anfield. He made his Premier League debut for Leeds aged 16 in 2002 and also had spells at Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City before joining Liverpool in 2015. He has made 617 Premier League appearances in total, behind only Gareth Barry (652) and Ryan Giggs (632) on the all-time list. The midfielder overtook Frank Lampard when making his 610th top-flight appearance early last month in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea. Liverpool signed Milner on a free transfer from City, with whom he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the League Cup during his five years at at the Etihad Stadium. In his eight seasons with Liverpool, he won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup and made the last of his 61 appearances for England in 2016. Firmino has scored 109 goals in all competitions for the Reds since joining from Hoffenheim, including 11 in 33 games this season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fit-again Jonny Bairstow ‘buzzing’ to return to England squad after ‘dark times’ Eight-month ban for Brentford striker Ivan Toney after betting breaches McGregor’s documentary and Coric’s ice cream love – Wednesday’s sporting social

The second Champions League semi-final is delicately poised between Manchester City and Real Madrid after the teams played out a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg last week. An enthralling encounter in Spain saw Pep Guardiola’s side dominate possession throughout the first half before Vinicius Junior sent Madrid ahead before the break. Carlo Ancelotti’s men then looked to press their advantage before Kevin De Bruyne equalised with a fine strike from outside the box. City will now hope their home crowd can give them a boost as they look to get over the line in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Madrid staged a late comeback against City in the semi-finals of last year’s competition and Guardiola will be keen for his side avoid a similar fate this evening. Although City have home advantage Madrid are European specialists, they have a quality forward line and are brilliant on the counter-attack, for the hosts to win this tie they will need to reach their best levels and maintain those standards for the duration of the clash. Whoever wins will then face Inter Milan in the final on the 10th June after they defeated AC Milan last night. Follow all the action as Manchester City host Real Madrid in the Champions League: Read More ‘My legacy is exceptional’: Pep Guardiola refuses to be defined by Champions League Ancelotti reveals what will decide Real Madrid’s ‘unpredictable’ clash with Man City Accident or design? Inter Milan’s thrilling triumph underlines concerning trend

Follow The Independent's live coverage of all the action in the FA Women’s Super League today. The WSL is the top tier of English women’s football with international players from all over the world plying their trade in one of the most competitive and entertaining leagues around. Chelsea have won three of the past four titles and Emma Hayes’ side will be right in the hunt again, with the likes of Arsenal - champions in 2018-19 – and Manchester City, who have been runners-up for each of the past four seasons, among their competitors. With the top three sides qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League, all 12 WSL teams have plenty to play for, although some clubs’ main ambition will simply be to avoid the drop. The side who finish bottom will be relegated to the FA Women’s Championship – a fate that befell Bristol City in 2020-21 – and newly-promoted Leicester City, competing in the top flight of the women’s game for the first time, will be eager to avoid an immediate return. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months and fined £50,000, the FA has announced. The England international was charged with 262 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA withdrew 30 of the breaches, and he admitted to the remaining 232. His sanctions were imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a hearing. Toney can return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension, starting from 17 September 2023. Brentford issued a statement, saying: “Brentford FC notes the decision of an independent Regulatory Commission to issue an eight-month ban from all football and football-related activity to Ivan Toney with immediate effect.” The 27-year-old, who has scored 20 goals for Brentford in the Premier League this season was charged with breaking FA rule E8, which refers to players being barred from betting on games or sharing information for betting purposes. Newcastle and England defender Kieran Trippier was handed a 10 week ban in December 2020 for giving information out for others to bet on his transfer to Atletico Madrid from Tottenham. More follows Read More Man City brush aside Everton to close in on title as Brighton stun Arsenal Brentford vs West Ham LIVE: Latest Premier League updates James Milner came to Liverpool and won the lot - an era ends with his departure

Brentford forward Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity for eight months, the Football Association has announced. Toney was charged by the FA in November for 262 alleged breaches of betting rules over a four-year period and has now discovered his punishment. Bees forward Toney will be banned until January 16th and has been fined £50,000 after he admitted to 232 of the alleged breaches. “Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules,” an FA statement read. “The Brentford FC forward was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232. “ An independent regulatory commission imposed Toney’s sanctions and he will not be allowed to train with his Brentford team-mates until September 17. The one-cap England forward has scored 21 goals in 35 appearances for Brentford this season. The FA statement continued: “His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing. He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from 17 September 2023. “The independent Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for these sanctions will be published in due course, and The FA will wait to review them before commenting further.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Paul Tierney will take charge of the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United. The 42-year-old referee has been appointed to oversee the Wembley decider from the middle for the first time. Raised in Wigan and based in Lancashire, Tierney will take charge of the first Manchester derby FA Cup final meeting. “It’s a real honour for me and the rest of the team, and we’re all thrilled to have been appointed for this game,” Tierney, who will be assisted by Neil Davies and Scott Ledger, said. “To referee the FA Cup Final is one of those things that you strive to do and it’s always been one of my targets but it still takes a bit of time to sink in. “It’s a great fixture to be refereeing too and although there is the common assumption that because I’m from Wigan I must support one of them, I was actually born in Belfast and only moved to Wigan when I was eleven and it’s actually going to be the first time that I’ve refereed a Manchester derby so I’m looking forward to it. “I’ve since been fortunate to referee there and be involved in more games and it’s something that always sticks with you. “Obviously, this game is going to top the lot on a personal level, so I’m looking forward to it and hopefully the final will be a great game.” David Coote has been appointed as the lead VAR for the encounter, with Simon Long his assistant. The final will be held at Wembley on Saturday 3 June.

Marcus Rashford has boosted Manchester United’s top-four Premier League hopes by returning to training. England striker Rashford, who has scored 29 goals this season, missed Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Wolves with a leg injury. “There is good news regarding Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay, who have both returned to training,” a United statement read after Erik ten Hag’s first-team squad trained at Carrington on Wednesday. “Our leading scorer took part in the session after missing the win over Wolves due to injury.” Scotland midfielder McTominay is also closing in on a return, having not played since scoring in a 2-0 win over Everton on April 8. France defender Raphael Varane, who Ten Hag said was replaced late on against Wolves as a precaution, also trained on Wednesday. Marcel Sabitzer this week joined Lisandro Martinez and Donny van de Beek on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Fourth-placed United continue their bid for Champions League football at Bournemouth on Saturday. After their trip to the south coast, United conclude their league campaign with home games against Chelsea and Fulham. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

It’s 22 years and counting since Coventry City last graced the Premier League, over two decades of ups and downs, necessary ups as a result of downs, a whole chapter and more of club history written outside of the game’s elite. Once, the Sky Blues were synonymous with top-flight football, iconic Nineties names – if not always quite among the elite – throughout the team. They lined up for the first Premier League campaign, in 1992/93, and stayed a part of that fledgling top flight for the first nine years, finishing in the bottom half each term but always there, always a tough opponent, always carrying players with a backstory, a big future, or both. But an entire generation of football fans have never seen Coventry among the top clubs. A sea change has happened at England’s highest level since they were on the scene; they departed in 2001, two years before Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea and could now return one year after he sold it. While billions were moved around in the transfer market and in broadcast deals in Coventry’s absence, they embarked on an altogether more painful journey; should they complete the comeback on 27 May and win the EFL Championship play-off final they will become the first team to go from the Premier League all the way down to the fourth tier... and come all the way back up again. Before they can dream of all that, though, they must overcome Middlesbrough in the second leg of a two-legged semi final. The first leg, on home soil, was a goalless draw. A generation back, that would have been Highfield Road. For those who haven’t followed the fortunes and failings of Coventry’s ownership since then, that memorable old ground – where they played for over a century – was demolished in 2005. They moved to the Ricoh Arena, but less than 10 years later there were leasing issues and disagreements, resulting in the team spending a season at Sixfields in Northampton, 33 miles away. A return to within the city limits lasted only another few years, with the 2019/20 and 20/21 campaigns spent playing home games at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s stadium – this time 23 miles away, and in the opposite direction to Sixfields. Two seasons back at the renamed Ricoh (now the Coventry Building Society Arena) have followed, with a 10-year deal to play there seemingly securing the club’s future at the ground – but the stadium owners have since been bought out and Coventry now only have an agreement to stay at the stadium until the end of this campaign. Investment group Sisu Capital bought the Sky Blues in 2007 to stop them going out of business, but under Ray Ranson’s chairmanship the club floundered on and off the pitch. Liquidation and relegation to League Two painted a bleak picture; the EFL Trophy in 2017 and promotion back to League One in 2018 offered a glimpse of hope. Doug King, a local businessman, finally completed a full takeover just a few months ago and immediately insisted on a future of “transparency and clarity”, noting there was no debt on the club and no interest would be payable on loans provided to it. However, he was unable to secure the purchase of the stadium, leaving work to do there for next season. Yet even that question mark only becomes cause for excitement if Coventry can pull off the most improbable of finishes to this campaign. When King took sole ownership on 27 January – just four months to the day before the play-off final – Coventry sat 15th in the Championship. They had won nine games all season, and lost 10. They had a negative goal difference. Their first game of the new era took place the next day and they won – and they have done so, again and again, in nine of their last 19, losing only twice. Mark Robins has managed a minor miracle in that most mad-cap of leagues, while it’s worth noting that the final day of the regular season saw them play away at the team they now face twice more in the play-offs. A 1-1 draw at Boro didn’t give much away for either side, while Coventry won the early-season meeting on home soil. Robins, of course, is the former striker who – as myth, legend or partial truth tells it – saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s career at Manchester United in those pre-trophy early seasons, scoring a goal in a must-win FA Cup clash which might otherwise have seen the Scot sacked. Robins went on to play for Norwich and Leicester, before a nomadic final decade or so in the game. This spell with Coventry, his second with the club, is his sixth coaching job. He is just three games away from giving the fans their best occasion in decades. And they have had plenty of those memorable occasions before. This is the club of Dion Dublin, Noel Whelan, Darren Huckerby, Robbie Keane. And before that, of Steve Ogrizovic, Roland Nilsson, Roy Wegerle, Gary McAllister and Peter Ndlovu. They were genuinely exciting, talented, committed players who could certainly have played for the biggest sides – some indeed went on to do so – had that era been like this one, where top clubs swoop continuously on any of those below them who fare well. Now it is instead to Viktor Gyokeres, Gustavo Hamer and Callum Doyle the fans will look, in hope and in anguish, that a long and difficult road might be just weeks from the final corner. What lays around it is almost entirely unknown, yet it could also in many ways mark the most incredible full-circle journey the Premier League era has seen. Read More Michael Carrick on the brink of managerial success with Middlesbrough, unlike old England teammates Coventry’s Mark Robins feels pressure is on Middlesbrough in play-off second leg How to watch Championship play-offs Coventry and Middlesbrough fail to land early blow in Championship play-off semi-final Coventry and Middlesbrough fail to land blow in Championship play-off semi-final Kitman Chris Marsh overcomes illness to help support Coventry’s promotion push How to watch Championship play-offs

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is hoping the security breach which left him in danger at Elland Road could help prevent a future “tragedy” on a football pitch. The 45-year-old was confronted in his technical area by an angry spectator during Saturday’s 2-2 Premier League draw at Leeds, and a man has since been banned from the stadium for life and charge with assault. Howe, who revealed he had been contacted by League Managers’ Association chief executive Richard Bevan in the wake of the incident, said: “The concern for me is the future. “That incident has gone, it’s done as far as I’m concerned, but the only part of that incident that’s left is the ‘What ifs?’ for the future. “I just hope that that incident itself can then help the authorities and whoever is concerned with the security and safety of the players and staff, that if it does make a little change or (encourage) someone to think how we can improve things, then it will have been a really worthwhile episode because I’d hate to see a tragedy on a football pitch that could have been avoided.” If Saturday’s events highlighted matters off the pitch, Howe swiftly shifted his attention to what happens on it as he prepared for Thursday night’s hugely significant showdown with in-form Brighton at St James’ Park. I don't feel like we're being hunted. I don't feel that emotion Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe The Seagulls will arrive on Tyneside still basking in the acclaim they received in the wake of their dismantling of title hopefuls Arsenal on Sunday, with both they and Liverpool chasing hard in a bid to deny the Magpies and Manchester United a top-four finish. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said ahead of Monday night’s 3-0 win at Leicester that the clubs currently sitting behind top two Manchester City and the Gunners would be happier if they were not being hunted down, although Howe is not feeling any pressure. He said: “I don’t feel like we’re being hunted. I don’t feel that emotion. It’s us against ourselves, really. That’s how I see it. It’s us trying to be the best we can be. “I’ve not focused on any other team all season. In my experience, I knew Liverpool were never far away because they are a top team and they are capable of going on runs of wins. They are very similar to Manchester City where they can win a group of games without blinking. They have got that experience. “For us, we can’t look at it or compare ourselves to Liverpool. We just have to look at us.” Liverpool, who have two games remaining, are still a point behind Newcastle and United, who have three left to play, while Brighton are eight points adrift with four to go, and the Magpies know victory in their last two home games – against the Seagulls and then Leicester on Monday evening – would secure Champions League qualification. Asked if he would have taken that back in August, Howe, who has a doubt over wide man Jacob Murphy and will once again be without midfielder Sean Longstaff, replied: “’Snapped your arm off’ is the phrase that I’d use.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Saracens and Sale to wear away kits to avoid clash for colour-blind supporters Leon Edwards says challenger Colby Covington is motivated by ‘jealousy’ Leonardo Bonucci says next season will be his last

The Qatari billionaire Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has raised his bid for Manchester United by making a fourth and last-ditch offer for the club, which is understood to be closer to £5 billion. The businessman has made a late intervention after the lifelong United fan, and petrochemicals billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe had submitted his third bid which valued United at a higher figure. As with all of Sheikh Jassim’s previous proposals, he is trying to buy 100 percent of the club, where the Glazer family are current majority shareholders. The Qatari has also pledged to clear United’s debt of £536 million and has promised a separate fund directed at the club and the community. Ratcliffe’s most recent bid allowed Joel and Avram Glazer, two of the six siblings whose father, Malcolm, bought the club in 2005, to retain a stake while aiming to complete a takeover in the next few years. The American merchant bank the Raine Group are overseeing the process for the Glazers. There have been three previous rounds of bids, without seeming to meet the Glazers’ valuation, though Ratcliffe had emerged as the favourite to complete a deal. Read More Eddie Howe: Football must learn from my confrontation with fan Dimitar Berbatov warns Harry Kane not to ‘tarnish’ Tottenham legacy by leaving You’re asking the wrong person – Emma Hayes not interested in title permutations

Long after the final whistle blew at San Siro, that welcome sound gave way to a more wondrous noise as the old ground shook and the celebrations showed no sign of abating. The curva nord was still full with ultras, belting out club anthems. That was all to serenade the extended squad, club hierarchy and their families, who were all still on the pitch. In classic celebration scenes, the children of the players were at the other end having a game among themselves. You could have been forgiven for thinking they’d won the final itself. A cynical view would be that was precisely what this was, since they eliminated their greatest rivals, and the expectation is that either Manchester City or Real Madrid will just cruise to victory in Istanbul. The defiant nature of Inter’s performance might indicate such complacency would be a mistake, but it’s still hard to deny that as much of this was just about getting there again: a victory in itself. Inter have had far longer waits to get back to the European Cup final, going 38 years between 1972 and the treble of 2010, but those periods never felt like they would be endless. Not when you could parade some of the best stars in the world, among them Ronaldo. They were always close. That hasn't been the case since 2010, especially as the elite end of the Champions League has got so much narrower. There have been times in the last few years - and never more than right now - where it has felt like the list of realistic potential champions gets smaller every season. In this campaign, it is as if that group consists of only the English clubs, as well as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and maybe Paris Saint-Germain due to Kylian Mbappe and Qatari wealth. Internazionale just wouldn’t have been included, not least because their financial scope has got smaller. It isn’t exactly a fairytale, mind. The ownership has changed twice since 2010, with ongoing questions over the current situation under Suning. That period has also seen the club overspend in a manner that now requires significant sales in the summer, not to mention European qualification itself, and has echoes of the club’s recent past. It's all been to keep up with a financial arms race constantly getting further away. As if to sum up so much, the Inter shirt doesn’t currently have a sponsor because the club say the cryptocurrency brand that previously adorned the black and white stripes did not pay them. And yet that situation, a little like this whole campaign, offered a throwback that almost came about by accident and adaptation rather than design. It’s an old-fashioned look for an old-fashioned sort of victory. The sense of history to all of that was also unmistakable. You can feel it right around the stadium and in all those celebrations. By winning this tie, Inter have reached their sixth European Cup final. That puts them just above Manchester United again. It leaves them well ahead of Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain, all of whom would see themselves as prospective challengers for this historic competition going forward. The trophy tends to follow the money, after all. That is also why, for all these complications, there is something compellingly thrilling about this. It is not to say that the truest value in sporting triumph comes when the grand old institutions win. It is more that something has gone wrong if a club like Inter - let alone 99% of the continent - can be locked out of the top level. Their previous glory does restore a prestige, though, that could be felt around the city in the hours after the game and well into the early morning. When the ultras and families finally left San Siro, it just ensured the sound of deafening firecrackers nearby. Raucous singing could now be heard all around the stadium and the city. Only a half of Milan was celebrating, but it oddly made European football feel that bit bigger again. Read More Inter Milan have already made it clear how they’ll aim to win Champions League final Budget building and back to the future tactics have Inter Milan among the elite once more Inter vs AC Milan player ratings: Lautaro Martinez and Francesco Acerbi star for Nerazzurri Dimitar Berbatov warns Harry Kane not to ‘tarnish’ Tottenham legacy by leaving Back to the future tactics have Inter Milan among the elite once more Inter Milan have already made it clear how they can win the Champions League