Sandro Tonali Is Available for Selection After Lengthy Betting Ban
Sandro Tonali has made his first appearance for Newcastle United after serving a 10-month ban for gambling on football matches.
Sandro Tonali is back in Newcastle’s kit after a long betting ban.
Newcastle United Welcome Star Sandro Tonali Back from Betting Ban
Sandro Tonali has made his first appearance for Newcastle United for almost a year, with the footballer returning to action after serving a long suspension for betting on matches.
Tonali was hit with a 10-month ban for breaching Italian betting regulations, with the length of the suspension meaning that he was unable to play for Italy at Euro 2024.
The Football Association (FA) also gave Tonali a suspended ban for betting on football games.
The 24-year-old started on Tuesday as Newcastle faced Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup, playing about an hour for the Magpies before being substituted.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will be hoping the return of Tonali to his squad can act as a boost as they seek to secure Champions League qualification having missed out last season.
Tonali’s side progressed to the third round of the Carabao Cup, beating Forest on penalties. Newcastle are next in action on Sunday, when they host Tottenham in the Premier League.
What Did Tonali Do?
Betting on matches is not allowed for footballers and Tonali gambled on many games, both during his time in Serie A and after he signed for Newcastle last year.
An investigation conducted by the FA found Tonali placed between 40 and 50 football bets, including four that involved matches including his own side.
Tonali admitted placing the bets, with all of his wagers on Newcastle being on his team to win. He featured in three of the Newcastle matches on which he had placed bets.
The four Newcastle matches Tonali placed bets on were as follows, according to the FA:
- An accumulator including either Newcastle to beat Brighton or to beat Burnley;
- An accumulator including Newcastle to beat Brentford;
- A single bet on Newcastle to beat Manchester City;
- An accumulator including Newcastle to beat West Ham.
Tonali had taken part in an FA training program that reinforced the fact betting on matches is not allowed for footballers. However, it was claimed he did not fully understand the messages that were being passed on as a result of his “extremely limited English”.
Road to Redemption Starts Now for Tonali
Tonali was hailed as a coup of a signing for Newcastle when he arrived from AC Milan, for whom he had played a key role for in their Serie A title triumph in 2021-22.
The Italy midfielder, who has played 15 times for his country so far, cost a reported fee of €70 million, which made him the most expensive Italian footballer in history.
Tonali has recently spoken about how he has been able to speak to other people with gambling issues doing his enforced time away from the game, which saw his Newcastle wages cut. In in an interview with Newcastle United’s in-house media channel, Tonali said:
“Especially in the first three months, I met a lot of people with ordinary jobs, especially in Newcastle, who had this problem and who had never spoken before now.”– Sandro Tonali
Tonali went on to explain how his experience inspired others to seek help:
“They did so when it all came out, when the articles came out and my problem was made public, so after this, they decided to get help and stop bottling things up, so this made me very happy.”– Sandro Tonali
Ultimately, Tonali will want to pay Newcastle back on the pitch now that his suspension is over.
