Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, who moved from Milan to Newcastle last July, is facing a further 50 charges of betting. The charges stem from wagers that Tonali made after making the move.
The young player allegedly placed bets between August 12 and October 12. That’s according to the FA, the regulatory body of English soccer, who announced on Thursday.
“Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules.
“It’s alleged that the Newcastle United midfielder breached FA Rule E8 50 times by placing bets on football matches between August 12, 2023, and October 12, 2023. Sandro Tonali has until April 5, 2024, to respond.”
In July, for $69 million, Tonali left AC Milan for the Magpies. Then, three months later, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) handed down a 10-month penalty to the 23-year-old for violating Italian betting regulations.
Then, FIFA extended his suspension globally after the FIGC punished him for betting on Brescia and Milan matches.
Swiftly accepting the FA’s accusation and offering support to the Italian player, Newcastle stated in response:
“Newcastle United acknowledges a misconduct charge received by Sandro Tonali in respect of alleged breaches of FA Betting Rules. Sandro continues to fully comply with relevant investigations, and he retains the club’s full support.
“Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time”, they said on their official website.
At this time, Tonali’s anticipated comeback to action is set for August 27, 2024. Howe, the coach of Newcastle United, has made his first public remark after the publication of the FA statement.
“It [the FA charges] was no surprise to us. Sandro, from day one, cooperated and was very honest with the club, with us, with the authorities in what he had done and the issues that he had. So, yesterday [Thursday] was no surprise” he said, via The Telegraph.
“Obviously, it may have been a surprise externally for other people to hear this news, but we’ve been supporting him through this period.”
“Very much so [this is an illness]. Of course, the news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn’t stop when he moved from Italy to England, that illness was there and people should look at it that way,
“Not ‘Let’s throw the book at him and let’s punish him even further’ because I don’t think that gets to the root of the problem. We need to protect all our players because this is something that’s open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society, so this isn’t just a problem for Sandro.”
The ex-Milan midfielder might find himself in one of two situations after Thursday’s formal FA announcement, according to Gazzetta.
Upon Tonali’s conviction, the English FA may determine that the FIGC suspension already encompasses violations of The FA’s Betting Rules. According to writer Luke Edwards, the 23-year-old will be back in action by the end of August this year.
However, the significant number of documented violations in a short period suggests that Tonali’s suspension may be further prolonged. There have been Premier League players convicted of violating betting rules between 2017 and 2021. But, Gazzetta notes that Ivan Toney’s eight-month punishment is the longest.
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