Sandro Tonali escapes extended suspension and gives Newcastle a big boost, but there's a problem

Sandro Tonali will not serve a long suspension unless he commits further breaches of the FA's betting rules.

The Newcastle midfielder is currently banned for 10 months after admitting that he had placed bets on matches in which he participated.

During this ban, Tonali was accused again for allegedly raping the FA's betting rules for the second time.

The Magpies have now revealed the result of this investigation and the Italian has escaped further punishment.

They issued a statement on Wednesday which reads: “Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been handed a two-month suspended ban from competitive football by an independent Regulatory Commission after self-declared breaches of the FA Betting Rules.

“He has also been fined £20,000 and has been warned by the FA about his future conduct. The suspension period is fully suspended for the 2024/25 season, meaning he will be available to return to competitive football at the conclusion of an existing ban of ten months imposed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on October 27, 2023.

“Provided he does not commit any further breach of the FA betting rules during the suspension period, Sandro will not serve any part of the two-month ban.

“As the FA recognized in the independent Regulatory Commission's written reasons, the level of assistance Sandro has provided in self-referring and cooperating fully with a subsequent investigation is extraordinary and unprecedented.

“Sandro fully admitted his betting activity, and did so in circumstances where there was no other evidence to support misconduct proceedings.

“Sandro continues with a therapeutic plan and an educational program with the full support of the club and will continue training with his teammates.”

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Tonali was therefore handed a two-month suspended ban, meaning he will be able to play for Newcastle once his 10-month suspension ends in August, provided he does not breach the FA's betting rules again.

The £55million signing arrived at St James' Park last summer but made just 12 appearances in all competitions before being suspended.

He went away Eddie Howe without one of their key men in midfield and their team has been harmed by his absence this season.

Having him back for next campaign will be a huge boost for the Magpies and they will believe the right decision has been made.

And so will the Premier League legend. Martin Keown WHO He didn't ask for more consequences. for Tonali last week.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Keown said: “There has to be a danger, when players make these bets, there has to be a consequence of that action, and that's what we're seeing now.

“I can tell you now that gamblers will look at this and see, people won't place bets and if they do, they're stupid.

“This is like changing some of these players' ashtrays – betting on games – and their entire livelihood could go out the window.

“I don't know if we're going to get much out of extending his ban, I think Newcastle are suffering greatly from all this.

“Isn't it punishment enough that Tonali is out for the entire season?”