Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali was given a suspended two-month ban from football by an independent commission on Thursday after he was found to have breached the Football Association's (FA's) betting rules.
"The FA charged the midfielder with 50 breaches of FA Rule E8 for placing bets on football matches between 12 August 2023 and 12 October 2023," the FA said in a statement. The FA confirmed that Tonali admitted to having placed the bets on the matches in question
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The FA confirmed that Tonali admitted to having placed the bets on the matches in question. He was also given a £20,000 ($24,968) fine and a warning.
The ban is suspended for the duration of the 2024-25 season and so the midfielder is able to return to action for Newcastle after he serves the existing 10-month suspension handed to him by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in October 2023 for breaches of their gambling rules.
FIFA and FIGC regulations meant that the Italy international could have faced a three-year suspension, but his cooperation with the authorities leading the investigation -- the FIGC and the Italian prosecutor's office -- led to a reduction in the length of his ban.
"Provided that 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 sanction," Newcastle said in a statement.
"As acknowledged by the FA in the independent Regulatory Commission's written reasons, the level of assistance Sandro has provided by self-referring and fully cooperating with a subsequent investigation is extraordinary and unprecedented.
"Sandro made full admissions as to his betting activity, and did so in circumstances where there was no other evidence to support misconduct proceedings.
"Sandro is continuing to follow a therapeutic plan and educational programme with the club's full support and will continue to train with his teammates."
Newcastle signed Tonali from AC Milan in last summer in a deal worth a reported €70 million ($74.7m) with add-ons, but has not appeared for the team since Oct. 21 shortly before his ban came into force.