Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali handed suspended two-month ban for betting breaches
Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been handed a two-month suspended ban for 50 breaches of the FA’s betting rules, the club announced on Thursday. The ban, which is fully suspended for the duration of the 2024/25 season, will see Tonali available to return to competitive football in August, provided there are no further breaches.
Tonali, who joined Newcastle in a £55m move from AC Milan last summer, is currently serving a ban from competitive football until August 2024 for betting on matches in Italy. However, he was charged with 50 additional breaches of FA Rule E8 for placing bets on football matches between August and October 2023, after he had joined the Magpies.
The two-month ban is suspended until the end of the 2024/25 season, meaning Tonali will face a ban from all football-related activity for that period if he makes another breach. However, he will be able to return from August 27 if he avoids further sanctions. In addition to the ban, Tonali has been fined £20,000 and warned by the FA about his future conduct.
In a statement, Newcastle praised Tonali for his cooperation with the investigation, stating that his level of assistance was “extraordinary and unprecedented.” The 23-year-old admitted to placing 40 to 50 bets on football matches, including bets on Newcastle to win, between August and October of last year.
Tonali, who admitted he was aware that betting on football is illegal, played in four out of the five matches he placed bets on and was an unused substitute in the other. He self-reported the breaches in October 2023, which was deemed the earliest possible opportunity.
The news of Tonali’s ban comes after Brentford striker Ivan Toney completed an eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules, while Nottingham Forest defender Harry Tofolo was given a suspended five-month ban for admitting 375 breaches of betting rules. Tofolo’s deteriorating mental health and belief that his football career was in decline were cited as substantial mitigating factors in his case.