Sandro Tonali escapes and currently serving a 10-month suspension
Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has escaped further punishment despite breaching the FA’s betting rules for a second time. He was suspended for 10 months in October 2023 for the first time, and had allegedly breached the betting rules once again during the ban.
However, the Italian international has managed to avoid any further embargo after being awarded a suspended two-month ban from competitive football. That means the ban will only apply if Tonali breaches the betting rules again, and for now, he will return to action in August once his current suspension is served.
The FA released a statement on Monday about their decision, saying:
They released a statement on Wednesday which reads: “Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been given a suspended two-month ban from competitive football by an independent Regulatory Commission after self-declaring breaches of FA Betting Rules. He has also been fined £20,000 and warned by the FA as to his future conduct. The banning period is fully suspended for the duration of the 2024/25 season, meaning he will be available to return to competitive football upon the conclusion of an existing ten-month sanction imposed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on 27 October 2023.
“Provided that he does not commit any further breach of the FA Betting Rules during the suspension period, Sandro will not serve any part of the two-month sanction.”
Having joined the Magpies on a mammoth £55 million transfer from AC Milan last summer, Tonali made 12 appearances for the Premier League side before getting banned. He even scored on his top-flight debut against Aston Villa in their thumping 5-1 victory.
Newcastle struggled without Tonali
Sandro Tonali had quickly established himself as a key man in midfield for Newcastle United. His suspension meant head coach Eddie Howe was left without one of his key players for much of the campaign, and the Magpies clearly struggled without his heroism in midfield. The side struggled for consistent results in the Premier League, even dropping points against lowly ranked sides. This has left them in seventh position on the league table, and in danger of missing out on European football for next season.
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