The representatives of Sandro Tonali have stated that the Newcastle United midfielder wants to "put a definitive end to a negative and very painful period" after he was charged by the Football Association with misconduct in relation to alleged betting breaches.
Tonali was handed a 10-month worldwide ban from football in October last year following an investigation from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) after breaching betting rules in his native Italy.
The 23-year-old was also fined €20,000 (£17,438) and has been required to attend treatment sessions for his gambling addiction.
Tonali has been allowed to train at Newcastle, who were unaware of the midfielder's gambling issues before they forked out a reported £55m to sign him from AC Milan last summer.
The 15-cap Italy international is due to see his current ban expire on August 27, but he now faces the prospect of further punishment after being handed a fresh betting charge by the English FA on Thursday.
Tonali charged by FA with alleged betting breaches
Tonali is alleged to have "breached FA Rule E8 50 times by placing bets on football matches between August 12, 2023 and October 12, 2023" since joining Newcastle in July of the same year.
Because these alleged bets took place in England, the English FA are required to carry out a separate investigation to the one conducted by the FIGC, who found the midfielder guilty last year.
It remains unknown as to whether the FA will decide to punish Tonali, but according to Sky Sports News, Newcastle do not expect the date of his return from his current 10-month ban to be affected or delayed by the new charges brought to the midfielder, nor do they believe his ability to continue training at the club will be changed.
Sandro Tonali wants to end "painful period" after self-reporting himself to FA
In response to media coverage in England and Italy about Tonali's FA charge, the midfielder's representatives GR Sports, founded by Giuseppe Riso, have released a statement clarifying their client's situation, confirming that he reported himself to the FA and will "continue to collaborate fully" to ensure that the "proceedings can be resolved as quickly as possible".
A statement read: "It should be noted, in relation to the reports in the English and Italian press, that the ongoing investigation is a due act after Newcastle player Sandro Tonali, decided in October 2023 to self-report to the FA, as he had previously done with the FIGC, in order to clarify his position regarding the betting he had carried out at a time prior to the start of the proceedings in Italy.
"We are therefore not talking about anything new but simply about recurring facts before the Italian's disqualification, which the player voluntarily wanted to bring to light even to the English Federation to put a definitive end to a negative and very painful period in his life.
"Sandro Tonali will continue to fully cooperate with the FA as he did with the FIGC and do everything possible to ensure that these proceedings can be resolved as quickly as possible".
Tonali has been made aware by the FA that he has until April 5 to respond to the latest charges against him.
Eddie Howe hopes FA do not "throw the book" at Tonali who has 'suffered enough'
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was asked to share his views on Tonali's situation at a press conference on Friday and hopes the Italian avoids further consequences from the FA.
Asked if he thinks Tonali could have his ban extended, Howe said: "We don't know is the honest answer – 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 with us.
"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."
"The news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn't stop when he moved from Italy to England," Howe added. "That illness was there and people should look at 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.
"He is seeking help on a regular basis. This is something that will not be going away. He has regular meetings both here and in Italy to deal with it."
Prior to his 10-month ban, Tonali made 12 first-team appearances and scored one goal for Newcastle, who face West Ham United in the Premier League at St James' Park on Saturday. body check tags ::
