Tonali ban for illegal betting revealed by Romano

Robin Bairner

• 25 Oct 2023 10:56 BST
• 2 min read

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali will be suspended from all football for the next 10 months.

The Italy international will, therefore, be unable to feature until a few weeks into the 2024/25 season.

It had been feared that the 23-year-old could face an 18-month penalty that was effectively have caused him to miss the remainder of this campaign plus the vast majority of next.

Romano, taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, stated: “Sandro Tonali will be banned for 10 months — sources confirm final indications, waiting on statement.

“He won’t be able to play for 10 months due to gambling addition scandal.

“There will be additional months of participation in gambling rehab plan, same as Nicolo Fagioli.”

Tonali had been at a hearing in Turin on Tuesday, during which his case was heard, while manager Eddie Howe stated that the player is “available” to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday in what may prove to be his final appearance of the term.

"As far as I'm aware, I'm expecting him to be available tomorrow," Howe, who used the player as a substitute against Crystal Palace in a 4-0 Premier League win at the weekend, said.

"I'll plan like that until told differently."

Can Tonali play against Dortmund?

The Daily Mail reports that UEFA were eager to see the player frozen out of the match at St James’ Park but European football’s governing body has been powerless to stop him from featuring because of a lack of official confirmation from Italy.

It is stated that the player’s lawyers have been in negotiations with prosecutors over a ban, with the official confirmation only expected on Thursday.

In a further boost to Newcastle, it is reported that Tonali will be allowed to train with the team, unlike Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who is serving a similar suspension currently, but he will miss out on Euro 2024.