Newcastle United defeated Arsenal 1-0, bringing Sandro Tonali back to St James’ Park for the first time since his 10-month suspension was upheld.
Tonali’s 10-month ban for violating Italian betting regulations took effect before Newcastle’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, with the club’s first home game since the ban coming against Arsenal.
Tonali has continued to train with The Magpies despite not being permitted to play, and he watched from the stands as Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game to secure a 1-0 victory over The Gunners.
Tonali was absent from the post-game celebrations, unlike injured players like Alexander Isak and Elliot Anderson, who visited the dressing room for a team photo following the win.
GET IN! 🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/FRYYpO8SQy
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) November 4, 2023
The 23-year-old midfielder is set to return to action on August 27, 2024, but the English Football Association has since confirmed that they are investigating him for any potential betting offenses following his £52 million summer transfer from AC Milan.
The FA was unable to confirm whether Tonali’s ban would be extended, with a further update expected in due course.
Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth spoke to the media on Friday about Tonali’s suspension and the club’s next steps.
“It was a massive shock, a massive surprise,” admitted Ashworth. “We were all new to dealing with it. It appeared out of nowhere.
“We first became aware of it when a potential allegation surfaced on social media.” I spoke with his representatives, and everything happened very quickly.
“The Italian federation visited Coverciano to speak with Sandro.” Everything happened quickly over the next 48 hours, and he could face charges.
“He is a top player and a significant signing for us; we will miss him.” To put it in context, it could have been an ACL. These things occur in football, but not in this context.
“For me, from the minute it happened, you look at yourself. What could we have done better? What could I have done better? What lessons can be learned from this? Could we have known? Should we have known? You look at your processes.”
Leave a Reply