Sandro Tonali is likely to escape an additional gambling ban, despite being hit with 50 fresh allegations of betting on football matches AFTER his transfer to Newcastle.
The Italy midfielder is already serving a 10-month suspension – set to expire on August 27 – having admitted to breaking gambling rules in his home country.
Tonali, who joined the Magpies for £52million from AC Milan in July, was given the worldwide ban by Italian authorities in October.
The Football Association then launched their own investigation and they have now confirmed the 23-year-old has been charged with misconduct in relation to 50 bets on games between August 12 and October 12 of last year.
He made his Newcastle debut on August 12, scoring in a 5-1 win over Aston Villa, and was first questioned in Italy on October 12. He later told investigators he had a gambling addiction.
Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali has been charged by the FA for 50 breaches of their betting rules
In a statement, the FA said the breaches had been made between August and October 2023
Eddie Howe’s side are set to be without their £52m summer signing until August amid the ban
Tonali has co-operated with the FA and handed over all materials relating to their probe in November. It led to fears inside St James’ Park that their marquee summer signing could be missing for a period beyond August.
However, Mail Sport understands Newcastle expect the FA to treat the new allegations as one period of betting activity – including the breaches in Italy – meaning any punishment will be served concurrently.
An FA statement read: ‘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 12 August 2023 and 12 October 2023. Sandro Tonali has until 5 April 2024 to respond.’
Tonali has been allowed to train with Newcastle since his ban and it is thought he will continue to do so. However, he is not permitted to play in friendly matches, except behind closed doors.
The club conducted their own investigation, led by former sporting director Dan Ashworth, into why they did not know about Tonali’s gambling problems before they signed him. It was concluded that the nature of an addiction means it is hidden, and their due diligence was as thorough as it could be.
But this latest development is another blow for Newcastle and Eddie Howe, who has only been able to use the player in 12 matches, and the club cannot be sure of the outcome of the charges until the conclusion of the FA investigation.
Italian football authorities said an agreement was reached for Tonali to serve a 10-month ban
Mail Sport revealed in November that the FA were investigating whether Tonali had continued to bet on football matches while under their jurisdiction
Tonali (left) has continued to train with Newcastle’s first team as he serves his ban
Newcastle said in a statement: ‘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.’
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