Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been handed a suspended two-month ban by the Football Association (FA) after admitting to breaches of betting rules. The 23-year-old Italian will avoid serving the ban if he refrains from further breaches until the end of next season.
Tonali, who is already serving a 10-month ban until August for previous offences during his time in Italy, faced charges from the FA in March. He admitted to placing between 40 and 50 football bets after joining Newcastle from AC Milan last July, including four on Newcastle’s results. The FA revealed that the total amount wagered by Tonali exceeded 100,000 euros (£85,600).
All four of Tonali’s bets on Newcastle were for his team to win, with the midfielder participating in three of the matches. The FA fined Tonali £20,000 for the breaches.
Newcastle confirmed that Tonali is undergoing a therapeutic plan and educational program with the club’s support and will continue training with his teammates.
An independent regulatory commission noted the profound effect the process had on Tonali and emphasized his commitment to avoiding a recurrence of such behavior. The commission acknowledged that Tonali’s admissions were crucial in bringing the misconduct to light.
The matches Tonali admitted to betting on include fixtures against Brighton, Burnley, Brentford, Manchester City, and West Ham. It was also revealed that Tonali participated in an FA training program on betting in August but had difficulty understanding the content due to limited proficiency in English.