Eddie Howe is hoping Sandro Tonali suffers “no further consequences” after an FA statement on Thursday afternoon revealed he breached betting rules during his time on Tyneside.
Yesterday’s announcement revealed that he breached the FA’s betting rules 50 times from August 12th 2023 – his home debut against Aston Villa – to October 12th last year. It’s been suggested that he’ll escape further punishment, but the final outcome remains slightly unclear.
Watch what Howe had to say below when asked this morning if Tonali’s ban will be extended in light of the latest charges:
🗣️ "It was no surprise to us"
Eddie Howe provides an update on Sandro Tonali following the player being charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of the FA's betting rules ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OvanlIv9ff
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 29, 2024
“We don’t know (if the ban will be extended) – I certainly hope for Sandro that there is no further consequences. He has suffered during this period.
“He has sought help. He has been very honest. He has admitted he has an issue. The best thing for Sandro would be for him to resume his career having taken his punishment and learnt a lot of lessons from this.
“It’s no surprise to us. The news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn’t stop when he moved to England. That illness was there and people should look it that way – not let’s throw the book at him and punish him even further because I don’t think that gets to the root of the problem. We need to protect all our players. This is something that’s open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society. This isn’t just a problem for Sandro.”
Tonali has already come clean on his issues, he’s been handed a lengthy ban and, as Howe says, will have really suffered during this period, especially so soon after leaving his homeland for Newcastle. Another ban would help no one.
Let’s hope the FA see sense and his suspension isn’t extended, allowing him to move on with his life – and career – after learning his lesson.
