Stumbled On Gambling Cases, Tonali Still Has A Chance To Strengthen Newcastle United

Newcastle United and the Italian national team, Sandro Tonali. (Photo: Twitter/@NUFC)

JAKARTA - Newcastle Unite player, Sandro Tonali, has recently become a topic of conversation due to being caught in a gambling case. The case is also predicted to threaten his career.

However, the Italian midfielder is reportedly still having the opportunity from Newcastle United. Tonali could have strengthened Newcastle when they hosted Crystal Palace in the 9th week of the 2023/2024 Premier League on Saturday, October 21 evening WIB.

Tonali can be played by Newcastle United manager, Eddie Howe, as long as there is no official statement from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). However, the match at the Saint James Park Stadium has the potential to be the last match before serving a gambling case.

Tonali has reportedly undergone an examination by the Italian Federal Prosecutor's Office and is just waiting for a verdict from the FIGC. He then joined his team-mates in Newcastle to take part in training.

"Most likely, the announcement of sanctions against Tonali will be made next week. This means that Tonali can still play this weekend, when Newcastle United face Crystal Palace," the Daily Mail report quoted Friday, October 20.

Eddie Howe himself has spoken about this. He admitted that Tonali could be played in Newcastle's next game because he had worked hard in training.

"It's been a very difficult few weeks for him and he's faced a lot of things. From what I've seen, he's handled everything well and controlled his emotions strongly, but I have to make decisions," Eddie Howe said.

"I have to return it to football. For me, the most important part of this whole incident is Sandro and his well-being. We as a football club, from the start, aim to support him and protect him, provide the love and support he needs to find a solution to the problems he faces."

"He's been training with us twice this week and he's very available to choose from," concluded the manager.

The gambling case that ensnared Tonali also dragged the names of two other Italian footballers, Nicolo Fagioli, who is a Juventus midfielder and Aston's attacking midfielder, Villa Nicolo Zaniolo. All three are strongly suspected of carrying out illegal gambling activities via online gambling platforms.

As a result of this case, Fagioli has received sanctions from the FIGC in the form of a seven-month land ban and a penalty of 12,500 euros. Meanwhile, Tonali and Zaniolo, who have undergone an examination, are still waiting for a decision from the FIGC.

If you look at the sanctions received by Fagioli, Tonali has the potential to get similar sanctions. However, this sanction could increase based on the results of an investigation by the Italian Federal Prosecutor's Office and the FIGC regarding how Tonali was doing during the investigation.