Sandro Tonali, a midfielder for Newcastle United, has been given a two-month suspended ban by the FA for breaching betting rules.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been handed a suspended two-month ban by the Football Association (FA) after admitting to breaching the association’s betting rules. The 23-year-old is already serving a ban from football until August 2024 due to his involvement in betting on matches during his time in Italy.

Tonali was charged in March for up to 50 breaches of FA Rule E8 between August 12 and October 12 of last year, following his move to Newcastle. However, he will not have to serve the two-month suspension if he avoids further sanctions until the end of the 2024/25 season.

In addition to the ban, Tonali has been fined £20,000. As it stands, he will be eligible to return to action from August 27.

Newcastle issued a statement regarding the matter, acknowledging the FA’s recognition of Tonali’s cooperation and self-referral during the investigation. The club expressed their full support for Tonali, stating that he is following a therapeutic plan and educational programme while continuing to train with his teammates.

According to the FA, Tonali placed bets amounting to “well in excess of 100,000 euros” (approximately £85,600). The findings also revealed that all four bets he placed on Newcastle, in which he played in three of the fixtures, were on Eddie Howe’s side to win.

The four Newcastle matches Tonali admitted to betting on were an accumulator involving either Newcastle to beat Brighton or Burnley, an accumulator including Newcastle to beat Brentford, a single bet on Newcastle to beat Manchester City, and an accumulator including Newcastle to beat West Ham.

An independent regulatory commission emphasized that Tonali does not wish to go through this process again.