Tonali officially charged for illegal betting
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29 Mar 2024 •
Reading time: 2 minutes Sandro Tonali, the Italian midfielder for the Newcastle United team, has just been charged by the English Football Association (FA) for violating sports betting rules.
After being sentenced to a 10-month suspension by the Italian Federation (FIGC) last October, Sandro Tonali is once again in the spotlight following the investigation by the English Football Federation (FA).
As a reminder, the Italian midfielder left AC Milan for Newcastle United long before the gambling scandal became known. A transfer which cost the English club €70 million.
When Tonali’s agent announced in October that his client was suffering from a gambling addiction, the Football Association (FA) opened an investigation into the player. In the United Kingdom, as in Italy, it is strictly forbidden for a professional footballer to bet on football matches. This investigation was therefore to show whether the Italian footballer had also bet on matches after his transfer to England.
Tonali broke FA rules
The results of the investigation into Tonali’s playing behavior were announced via the FA Twitter page. This time he is accused of having bet 50 times on football matches between August 12 and October 12, 2023, i.e. in the few weeks following his arrival in Newcastle.
The FA has given Sandro Tonali until April 5, 2024 to respond to the complaint. Despite the seriousness of the events, the player can always count on his club. Newcastle United said on their website that the midfielder continues to cooperate with the investigation and fully supports it.
With the accusations made by the FA, Sandro Tonali will probably be absent from his English club for several more months. Previously, well-known names such as Ivan Toney and Harry Toffolo were suspended for several months. So we will have to wait a while for the weight of the upcoming sentence to be pronounced.