Sandro Tonali bet on football 50 times after joining Newcastle – including four bets on Magpies to win… as FA hand him two-month suspended ban, meaning he can return to action on August 27

Sandro Tonali wagered ‘well over’ £100,000 on 50 bets after joining Newcastle but will be free to play from August 27, as per his original betting ban last year.

The Newcastle midfielder has been handed a two-month ban and £20,000 fine after admitting 50 betting breaches since joining Newcastle. He has also been warned by the FA about his future conduct.

In March, Tonali was charged by the FA for the new football betting offences. He has admitted placing these bets, four of which were on Newcastle winning – and that he was involved in three of those matches.

Tonali is already serving a 10-month global ban on illegal betting, imposed by the Italian Football Federation last October.

He estimated that the value of his new bets in England could reach €10,000 per bet (£8,580), according to an FA report, and the cumulative amount is a ‘six-figure sum’.

He gambled on Newcastle winning four games between September and October.

One of these was a cumulative bet from Eddie Howe’s side to beat Brentford on 16 September, a match they won 1–0.

Then there was a single bet on Newcastle to beat Manchester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Again they won 1-0.

He kicked for the Magpies beating West Ham on 8 October, a match that finished 2–2.

There was also a cumulative bet on Newcastle beating Brighton on September 2 or Burnley FC on September 30.

Toon lost 3-1 at Brighton, but defeated Burnley 2-0 at home. According to the FA report, Tonali cannot remember which bet he placed.

He played in all those games except the win over Brentford.

Tonali also stated that he had bet money on other Premier League matches, but denied placing bets on European or international matches.

The Italian, who joined the Magpies from AC Milan in July for £52million, was handed his global ban by Italian authorities in October.

Juventus midfielder Nicola Fagiolo was also banned for seven months for illegal betting after reaching a settlement with prosecutors.

The Football Association subsequently launched its own investigation and accused 23-year-old Tonali in March of misconduct relating to 50 bets on matches between August 12 and October 12, 2023.

In addition, he had to pay around £17,000 and take part in eight months of therapy.

Early reports last year suggested Tonali was at risk of a 12-month ban after claiming he had bet on AC Milan matches while on their books.

However, it is believed that his guilty plea and willingness to seek treatment for what his agent calls a “gambling addiction” helped him get the ban reduced. It is also said that he did not bet on Milan losing games.

Tonali is undertaking an eight-month therapeutic program at Newcastle and completing an educational course.

His suspension until August 27 means he is excluded from the 2024 European Championship and the opening matches of the 2024-2025 season.

A statement published by Newcastle said: ‘As acknowledged by the FA in the Independent Regulatory Commission’s written statement of reasons, the level of assistance provided by Sandro by self-referring and fully cooperating with a subsequent investigation is extraordinary and unprecedented.

“Sandro made full admissions to his gambling activities, and did so in circumstances where there was no other evidence to support misconduct proceedings.”

Last October, Tonali’s agent admitted that his client was struggling with a gambling addiction.

He had a stunning start at Newcastle, becoming their fastest Premier League debut scorer when he netted six minutes in a 5–1 defeat of Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.

However, in September he found it difficult.

‘This summer has been tough and I’ve had a rough start. “It wasn’t easy to find my place at first, but I found people who supported and helped me and I started to be happier,” he said at the time.

“Mr Howe and my teammates were great. They help me in my personal and professional life.

‘They helped me settle down. The language was very difficult for me at first, I found communicating with the boys extremely difficult, but it is getting easier and I am very happy. It’s getting easier.’