The firm ten-month suspension imposed on Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali on Thursday by the Italian Federation (FIGC) for illegal sports betting was ratified on Friday by Fifa. “The sanction imposed on Tonali is 18 months: ten months of suspension and eight of probation,” the FIGC informed Thursday. Tonali, selected 15 times for the Italian team, will not play again before the 2024-25 season and will miss Euro-2024 for which the Nazionale, reigning European champions, must still qualify.
Earlier on Friday, Eddie Howe, Newcastle coach currently sixth in the Premier League standings, said there was a “strong chance” that Sandro Tonali would be part of the squad which is due to travel to Wolverhampton on Saturday. “We heard the news (Thursday, editor's note) but we have not received anything from the Italian authorities at the moment, so we are waiting for official confirmation to reach us,” Howe reacted, adding that he there was “a good chance he would be available again” for the Magpies on Saturday. Which will therefore not be the case.
Tonali (23 years old, 15 caps) was suspended for illicit sports betting, with the aggravating circumstance of having bet on Brescia (2017-20) and AC Milan (2020-23) matches when he wore the jersey of these two teams. The sanction is accompanied by treatment obligations to put an end to his addiction to gambling.
Tonali's transfer to Newcastle in July for 64 million euros made him the most expensive Italian player in history. On Wednesday in the Champions League, he came on as a substitute in Newcastle's 1-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in Group F, that of Paris Saint-Germain.