Midfielder Sandro Tonali of Newcastle has been accused by the Football Association (FA) of misconduct related to 50 instances of betting on matches, the governing body announced on Thursday. Tonali is alleged to have breached FA Rule E8 multiple times, occurring between August 12, 2023, and October 12, 2023. The 23-year-old player has until April 5 to appeal.
Last October, Tonali was informed he would miss the remainder of the season for both club and country after FIFA, the global football governing body, approved a 10-month ban by the Italian authorities for breaching betting regulations.
Tonali will also miss the opportunity to participate with the Italian national team in defending the European Championship title in the finals scheduled for June in Germany. Tonali’s representative had previously disclosed that his client, who joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July for around £55 million ($69 million, 64 million euros), was battling a gambling addiction. In addition to the 10-month ban, Tonali was fined €20,000 and required to undergo an 8-month therapy program to address his issues after reaching a plea deal following an investigation into illegal betting conducted by the Italian prosecutor’s office and the Italian Football Federation.
Newcastle, responding to Thursday’s announcement by the FA, stated in a release: “Newcastle United acknowledges the misconduct charge received by Sandro Tonali relating to alleged breaches of FA betting rules.
“Sandro continues to fully cooperate with all related investigations and has the full support of the club. As this process is ongoing, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to provide any further comment at this time.”