Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been handed a suspended two-month ban by the Football Association after confessing to breaches of betting regulations. The 23-year-old Italian will avoid serving the ban provided he refrains from further violations until the conclusion of next season. Tonali is currently serving a 10-month ban, set to expire in August, for infractions during his tenure in Italy.
The FA charged Tonali in March after he admitted to placing between 40 and 50 football bets following his transfer to Newcastle from AC Milan in July. These wagers included four on Newcastle’s outcomes, with the FA noting that the sum staked by Tonali exceeded £85,600. All of Tonali’s bets on Newcastle were for his team to emerge victorious, and he participated in three of the four matches in question.
Newcastle has reiterated its support for Tonali, stating that he continues to undergo a therapeutic and educational program endorsed by the club. An independent regulatory commission acknowledged the profound impact of the disciplinary process on Tonali, emphasizing his commitment to avoid a recurrence of such incidents. The FA contended that Tonali’s misconduct would likely have remained undiscovered had he not confessed to it.
The written reasons provided by the independent commission outlined the specific matches Tonali admitted to betting on, including an accumulator involving various Newcastle fixtures and a single bet on Newcastle to defeat Manchester City. Despite participating in an FA training program on betting awareness prior to his transgressions, Tonali’s limited understanding of English hindered his comprehension of the material.
