Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been handed a suspended two-month ban following his admission of breaching Football Association (FA) betting regulations.
The 23-year-old Italian will avoid serving the suspension provided he refrains from further breaches before the conclusion of the next season. He is currently serving a 10-month ban, effective until August, for infractions committed during his tenure in Italy.
In March, Tonali was charged by the FA after confessing to placing approximately 40 to 50 football bets following his transfer from AC Milan to Newcastle last July, which included four bets on the outcomes of Newcastle's matches.
According to the FA, the amount wagered by Tonali on the bets, for which he has been fined £20,000 (€18.6k), would have exceeded "well in excess of €100,000." The FA noted that all four of Tonali's bets on the Magpies were placed on his team to emerge victorious. Additionally, he participated in three out of the four matches.
Newcastle revealed Tonali is "continuing to follow a therapeutic plan and educational programme with the club's full support and will continue to train with his team-mates". According to an independent regulatory commission, the proceedings have deeply impacted the midfielder, an experience he is keen to avoid repeating in the future.
In summarising the evidence, the independent commission noted the FA's assertion that it was "highly unlikely" they would have discovered Tonali's misconduct if not for his admissions.
The written explanations provided on Thursday outlined the four Newcastle matches Tonali acknowledged placing bets on:
An accumulator involving either Newcastle to beat Brighton on 2 September 2023 or to beat Burnley on 30 September;
An accumulator including Newcastle to beat Brentford on 16 September;
A single bet on Newcastle to beat Manchester City on 27 September;
An accumulator including Newcastle to beat West Ham on 8 October.
It was additionally confirmed that Tonali participated in an FA training program on betting in August, just nine days before his offences commenced. However, due to his extremely limited proficiency in English, he had difficulty fully comprehending the content.
In October, the player received a global ban from Italian authorities as part of a betting scandal involving 40 players in the country. Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli was also sanctioned with a seven-month ban for unlawful betting after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Tonali, who has featured in only 12 games for Newcastle, has remained active in training alongside his teammates throughout his suspension. Prohibited from participating in friendly matches, his anticipated return to the public eye is slated for the third week of the upcoming Premier League season.
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