Ivan Toney, a media darling and a cheat?

[Nick Bateman]

Nottingham Forest have launched an appeal to the PGMOL complaining that Toney's goal should have been disallowed by VAR. In Toney's first game back since an 8-month betting offence (over 300 illegal bets made by him) he deliberately moves the ball while the referee's back is turned.

But the media, in this instance Dermot Gallagher finds any excuse to not condemn his actions. Had a Fulham player done the same he would be looking at retrospective action and a lenghty ban, and rightly so.

But unlike Brentford, Fulham do not have players as dishonest as Ivan Toney! See for yourself.

[FishaPrice]

Yea he cheated. Was it clever? Yes. Was it cheating? Yes.

[Grassy Noel]

Yea he cheated. Was it clever? Yes. Was it cheating? Yes.

The dark arts exemplified. Metro must have purred when he watched it.

[MikeTheCubed]

Wonder if Dermot thinks it's okay to dive for a penalty if the opposition team have defended poorly.

[Andy S]

We watch footballers cheat in every match. We still watch

[bill taylors apprentice]

He's taken advantage of the opposition and the officials not paying attention.
The laws of the game do not have anything specific on this kind of action.

If the officials didn't see him do it there is no law broken and the goal cannot be disallowed.
Only if they saw him do it could they make him take it again from the original spot and in my opinion he could have been booked for ungentlemanly conduct but I've no idea if that law still exists?

Either way he pulled a fast one over the officials and Forest 

[perry geyton]

Englands new Golden boy now in he, right behind Harry Kane

[Nick Bateman]

I've never seen the foam being moved as well. It is there because players would move the ball when the ref wasn't looking, so it's a new low created by Toney and he should be condemned IMO. Ban him for another 8 months part of which is in the summer like last time.

[Bill2]

Easy solution, when he does it again the defending team complain to the ref and then delay the kick by reorganising their wall.

[love4ffc]

For me, this is just another failure of VAR.  To me, that is what it is there for.  Tell the ref what has happened and let him deal with it. 

[Cambridge Away]

Someone should start a vote for biggest West London scoundrel between John Terry, Ivan Toney and Alexander Mitrovic. The difference with Mitrovic (and the judgement of Fulham fans) being that we only had it confirmed what a scoundrel he was when he appeared in pictures in a Saudi kit. Before that, perhaps because of the language barrier, he just seemed like a bit of an enigmatic hot head.

[perry geyton]

It really is down to the opposing team keeping an eye on the ball then letting the ref know if he moves it

[Angus Telford]

If the officials didn't see him do it there is no law broken and the goal cannot be disallowed.
Only if they saw him do it could they make him take it again from the original spot and in my opinion he could have been booked for ungentlemanly conduct but I've no idea if that law still exists?

One assumes this is why Forest have written to the refs asking if the rules were broken or not. Now they have to come out and say yes you can move the ball a yard after the ref has drawn his line and the wall is set... which seems absurd and will start everyone doing it... or alternatively they can say no Toney cheated, which then begs the question why was it not picked up by VAR and can he be retrospectively punished?

[MikeTheCubed]

VAR?

What were the referee's three assistants looking at while this was ongoing?

[Londonfranky]

Much as was a bit cute by Toney, it was pretty crap defending by Forest, CHO seems to standing well away from the wall and gave Toney a perfect target to shoot at,

[MisfitKid]

VAR?

What were the referee's three assistants looking at while this was ongoing?

Good question...

[demeant0r]

Easy solution to this, when the referee marks a free kick spot, it has to be circular and the ball has to be inside it.

[Sting of the North]

If the officials didn't see him do it there is no law broken and the goal cannot be disallowed.
Only if they saw him do it could they make him take it again from the original spot and in my opinion he could have been booked for ungentlemanly conduct but I've no idea if that law still exists?

One assumes this is why Forest have written to the refs asking if the rules were broken or not. Now they have to come out and say yes you can move the ball a yard after the ref has drawn his line and the wall is set... which seems absurd and will start everyone doing it... or alternatively they can say no Toney cheated, which then begs the question why was it not picked up by VAR and can he be retrospectively punished?

Or they simply say that yes he cheated, but that it was not within the scope of VAR to review.

What would it have rendered if caught by the ref? Likely a yellow. Not for VAR, and likewise not something they give retroactively.

[SP]

Easy solution to this, when the referee marks a free kick spot, it has to be circular and the ball has to be inside it.

I suspect that's what'll happen, a low key response as they don't want to give Forest any fuel.

[Woolly Mammoth]

VAR?

What were the referee's three assistants looking at while this was ongoing?

Their navels.