Sandro Tonali has been given another ban from football. (Image: Getty)
Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been handed a suspended two-month ban from competitive football after 50 breaches of the FA’s betting rules. The Italian has also been fined £20,000 but will be able to play for Eddie Howe’s outfit next season, starting in August, should he not commit further breaches before the end of the campaign.
Tonali, who was initially handed a 10-month ban in October for breaching Italian gambling regulations while at AC Milan, admitted to placing between 40 and 50 bets after completing a move to the Premier League, including four times on Newcastle to win.
An independent Regulatory Commission sanctioned Tonali with 50 admitted breaches of FA Rule E8 for placing bets on football matches between August 12, 2023 and October 12, 2023.
The commission’s written rules for the sanction state that Tonali bet on Newcastle to win against either Brighton on September 2 or Burnley on September 30 as part of an accumulator, to beat Brentford on September 16 as part of an accumulator, to defeat Manchester City as a single bet on September 27 and to win at West Ham on October 8 as part of an accumulator.
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Sandro Tonali watching Newcastle on from the sidelines. (Image: Getty)
Tonali played in three of those matches and admitted to placing bets on the Premier League, but not the Champions League or international football, as Newcastle released a statement confirming that the 23-year-old is undergoing a therapeutic plan and educational programme with the club’s full support.
A Newcastle statement read: “#NUFC midfielder Sandro Tonali has been given a suspended two-month ban from competitive football by an independent Regulatory Commission after self-declaring breaches of FA Betting Rules. He has also been fined £20,000 and warned by the FA as to his future conduct.
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“The banning period is fully suspended for the duration of the 2024/25 season, meaning he will be available to return to competitive football upon the conclusion of an existing 10-month sanction imposed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on 27 October 2023.
“Provided that he does not commit any further breach of the FA Betting Rules during the suspension period, Sandro will not serve any part of the two-month sanction. As acknowledged by the FA in the independent Regulatory Commission’s written reasons, the level of assistance Sandro has provided by self-referring and fully cooperating with a subsequent investigation is extraordinary and unprecedented.
“Sandro made full admissions as to his betting activity, and did so in circumstances where there was no other evidence to support misconduct proceedings. Sandro is continuing to follow a therapeutic plan and educational programme with the club’s full support and will continue to train with his teammates.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1894969/Sandro-Tonali-Newcastle-betting-ban-statement