SUMMARY
- Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali has been charged with betting offenses again.
- Tonali has been previously found guilty of betting and is serving a 10-month ban.
Italian star Sandro Tonali’s career has taken a turn for the worse after he was caught in controversy yet again. Last year, Tonali was found guilty of committing betting offenses by the Italian FA and handed a heavy suspension. However, according to recent reports, Tonali has been found guilty yet again and faces further punishment.
According to Italian soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano, the FA has charged Sandro Tonali with 50 charges of betting offenses. As per the reports, Tonali placed bets between August 12 and October 12 last year. Although this isn’t the first time that Tonali has been charged with betting offenses. Last year, Tonali was found guilty of placing bets and was suspended for 10 months from soccer.
🚨 Official: Sandro Tonali has now been charged by the FA with 50 offences of placing bets earlier this season.
It happened between August 12, 2023 and October 12.
Tonali was already banned for 10 months for betting offences whilst in Italy. pic.twitter.com/eLIK3bGohA
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 28, 2024
Tonali, who joined the English side Newcastle United from AC Milan last year, had reportedly placed bets on matches involving his former teams AC Milan and Brescia. Besides Tonali, Nicolo Zaniolo and Nicolo Fagioli were also named in an investigation into illegal betting activity. While Zaniolo escaped any punishment, Fagioli was handed a seven-month ban.
Due to the ban, Sandro Tonali will miss the rest of this season and the upcoming Euro 2024. However, with new charges emerging, Tonali will be forced to be sidelined from soccer for a long time. Nevertheless, the Newcastle United star has until April 5 to respond to the charges. Currently, there has been no official comment from Tonali about the charges.
Former Arsenal star pleads mercy for Sandro Tonali
Meanwhile, English soccer commentator and former Arsenal star Paul Merson has been a vocal critic of the punishment handed out to Sandro Tonali. According to Merson, a suspension isn’t the correct way to handle Tonali and the rest of the players’ cases who have been accused of betting. Merson, who has himself suffered from gambling issues, has demanded a change in the way such players are punished.
“This is an illness, people need to understand that”
Paul Merson discusses gambling issues within football as he reacts to news Sandro Tonali is under investigation for betting on AC Milan matches whilst he was a player at the club. pic.twitter.com/xzPw2VIdLh
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 21, 2023
Merson said, “People have no respect for the gambling addiction. They needed help and I don’t think ‘help’ is giving them 10-month bans.” The ex-Aston Villa star gave the example of Brentford star Ivan Toney. Between November 2022 and December 2023, the FA found a total of 262 charges for betting offenses committed by Toney. While Toney accepted most of the charges, he contested the others.
While the FA initially demanded a 15-month ban from soccer for Ivan Toney, the suspension was later reduced to an eight-month ban. He was also handed a $62,000 fine and was officially diagnosed with a betting addiction. It was not until January 2024 that Toney finally returned to action. It was a dream comeback for the English star who scored in Brentford’s thrilling 3-2 victory against Nottingham Forest.
