Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct for a further 50 alleged betting offences by the Football Association (FA).
The 23-year-old Italy international is already serving a 10-month ban from competitive football, imposed last October, after being found guilty of breaching rules on gambling by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). His agent, Beppe Riso, stated then that his client had been suffering from a “gambling illness”.
The Athletic explains what these latest charges are, whether they could lead to a fresh suspension, and what this all means for Tonali and Newcastle.
What has Tonali been accused of by the FA?
Tonali has been charged with misconduct in relation to 50 alleged counts of placing bets on football matches during the first two months of the 2023-24 season. This would contravene Rule E8 of the Football Association’s regulations.
These are fresh charges, issued by the FA and covering only that two-month period, whereas his current ban was imposed by its Italian counterpart and related to multiple seasons.
An FA statement on Thursday 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.”
What is Tonali currently banned for?
On October 26, Tonali was suspended from playing for Newcastle or the Italian national team for 10 months after being found guilty of breaching rules on gambling by the FIGC.
The scope of the FIGC’s charges covered gambling offences “at least from the 2021-22 football season and until the beginning of the present football season (2023-24)” and concerned “the results of official matches organised within the FIGC (Serie A, Serie B and minor leagues) and of foreign professional football championships”.
Tonali breached article four, paragraph one of the body’s sporting justice code, as well as article 24, paragraphs one and two, which cover betting “directly or through intermediaries, both with authorised persons and with persons and platforms not authorised to receive them”.
The ban runs out next August but includes a further eight months of rehabilitation, including therapy, as well as 16 public appearances back in Italy at amateur clubs, federal training centres and addiction charities. Tonali was also fined €20,000 (around £17,000/$21,500 at current exchange rates).
Italian club Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli and fellow midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, who is on loan to Aston Villa of the Premier League from Turkish side Galatasaray, were also investigated as part of the same case. Fagioli received a seven-month ban from football in October after reaching a settlement with the FIGC, but Zaniolo was found not to have placed bets on football.
Do we know what games the FA alleges Tonali bet on?
It claims Tonali bet on football following his transfer from AC Milan to Newcastle early last July, specifically between Saturday, August 12 — the day he scored six minutes into his official debut in English football during a 5-1 win against Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the current Premier League season — and Thursday, October 12.
That second date is when Tonali was first interviewed by police at the Italian national team’s Coverciano training ground in Florence as part of an investigation into illegal digital betting platforms.
Between those two dates, Tonali made 10 appearances for Newcastle, the last of which was in a 2-2 away draw against West Ham United on October 8. He also represented Italy against North Macedonia in a European Championship qualifier on September 9.
Tonali played twice for Newcastle after October 12, appearing as a substitute against Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on October 21 and 25 respectively, but the scope of the charges do not cover those two games.
The matches Tonali is alleged to have bet on have not been disclosed. Whether the 50 alleged breaches include games he played in for Newcastle or Italy is not known yet either.
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
What have Newcastle said?
Newcastle released a short statement on Thursday acknowledging the FA charge.
“Sandro continues to fully comply with relevant investigations and he retains the club’s full support,” they said. “Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time.”
The club also refused to comment on whether the charges covered games involving Newcastle.
However, Newcastle are confident Tonali’s eventual return to playing, or his ability to train in the interim, will not be affected.
They believe Tonali proactively and voluntarily cooperated with the investigation, including turning over information to the FA in the autumn.
It took almost six months between Tonali handing over these details and the player being charged, with the FA’s investigation understood to have been granular in detail.
Has Tonali been playing or training since his original ban?
Tonali’s ban has not prevented him from training with Eddie Howe’s Newcastle first-team squad — even if there was a week or so when the club were unsure if he would be able to given England striker Ivan Toney could not do so with Brentford for a period during an eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules that expired this January — with his international-class quality a daily reminder of what Newcastle have been missing, something which has been magnified by their injury crisis.
Toney has returned after his ban (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Tonali has done extra work during his absence, with multiple figures at the training ground paying tribute to his “brilliant” attitude and work rate. He has attempted to improve his general athleticism and dynamism and worked closely with Howe’s staff to get to grips with their tactical demands. More specifically, he has been given tailored exercises by a speed coach to help him accelerate, decelerate and change direction at maximum output.
“Despite the obvious frustration for me, I’m very pleased he’s training at that level and that’s a hallmark of his character,” Howe said recently.
The Newcastle head coach then confirmed on Friday that Tonali was still training with the team.
While Tonali is not permitted to play in competitive fixtures during this ban — which is due to finish on August 27 — and Newcastle’s understanding is that he also cannot take part in mid-season or pre-season friendlies, the hope is that when his exile is drawing to a close in their pre-season, they can arrange behind-closed-door matches to hone his fitness.
Tonali is permitted to go to Newcastle’s matches and has regularly attended games at their St James’ Park home, although there are some areas of the stadium he is unable to venture into given the terms of his suspension.
Could Tonali have his ban extended?
That depends on the exact nature of these latest alleged offences. The details of Tonali’s gambling in Italy were never released as part of a deal made with prosecutors. However, an FA investigation will see details of the allegations released at its conclusion.
If Tonali is found guilty of betting on one of his own teams — or even against them — that will be an aggravating factor. However, at this stage, while it remains a possibility, there is no indication either way whether this forms part of the FA charges.
There is a further factor at play — whether any further ban is served concurrently or consecutively. Under the former, Tonali would serve any suspension imposed by the FA at the same time as what remains of that passed by the FIGC — whereas under the latter, Tonali would finish his initial punishment before immediately beginning another.
These issues will be decided at an upcoming hearing — it is understood the FA recognise Tonali’s admission of a “gambling illness” and that this will form part of mitigation.
“I’d say at the moment that’s a hope,” Howe added on Friday when asked if Tonali’s bans could run concurrently. “We don’t have any specific information to say there’s clarity on it. But we hope, I certainly hope strongly for Sandro, that’s the case.”
Has Tonali, or his camp, said anything?
There has been no public comment from Tonali or his representative since the FA announced its charge.
In October, after the player was interviewed by police, Riso said: “Sandro is a bit shaken up by the situation.
“But he’s already started to fight back. Sandro is a fighter. The biggest game has started against an illness. Sandro is used to big games and usually he wins them. Sandro’s experience will save the lives of other kids.
“I’d like to thank Newcastle. They have always been by Sandro’s side. He is training and could play on Saturday. He’s realised he has to face up to this problem. The club is absolutely by his side.”
Tonali’s representatives have been approached for comment over the new charges.
What does this mean for Newcastle?
In the short term, not much. They were already reconciled to being without Tonali until early in the 2024-25 season, so there is no change to Howe’s immediate plans.
This news does not help the sense of the club being besieged and battered by events — from this, to a long injury list, to their inconsistent form and results, to their concerns over possibly breaching profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), to Dan Ashworth, their sporting director, being on gardening leave ahead of moving to Manchester United.
Tonali’s arrival was intended to ease the burden on Bruno Guimaraes, their midfield talisman, without whom Newcastle have struggled to win matches. With that out of the window and with Guimaraes’ future already uncertain given those PSR constraints, does the possibility of a further ban for Tonali have repercussions for a summer transfer window that already looked difficult?
Then there is Tonali’s mindset to consider.
Tonali has been a visible presence at the training ground and has also explored his new home city and the near Northumberland coastline, and attended public events. He is now fluent in English, having worked hard to acclimatise, though the past five months have been challenging.
“He’s a lovely, committed young man, but we know he misses playing,” a senior Newcastle source, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, told The Athletic earlier this season. “It’s a massive thing. The difficulty will be in keeping him motivated. Everything for a footballer is based on building up to matches and that adrenaline is impossible to replicate.”
There have been regular sessions with Dr Ian Mitchell, Newcastle’s new head of psychology, and more are expected.
This news is yet another blow, for Tonali personally and for Newcastle as a club, during what has been an extremely turbulent campaign for both.
Additional reporting: George Caulkin and James Horncastle
(Top photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
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