Newcastle: but what is Sandro Tonali doing now?

It all started with information from whistleblower Fabrizio Corona. At the beginning of the month of August, “the VIP paparazzi” – as he calls himself in Italy -, had made public the addiction of Juventus player Nicolò Fagioli to sports betting, a practice absolutely prohibited by the Sports Code for a professional player. In October, La Stampa went even further and announced for its part the opening of an investigation by the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office. A veritable media tsunami, which also did not spare the two Italian internationals, Nicolò Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali, also suspected of having fallen into temptation after the discovery of conversations involving them.

If the first has since escaped sanction, the Newcastle player has admitted his guilt to the courts. Aggravating circumstances: he admitted to having bet on Brescia and AC Milan matches when he was still playing for both teams. The ax then fell a few days later with a ten-month suspension, as well as eight months of community service. Since then, Tonali has made the decision to move forward discreetly, far from the media and social networks where he has not appeared since October. However, the Italian still remains under threat of seeing his sanction worsen, in the event that the FA investigation report highlights gambling practices carried out after his transfer to Newcastle.

Regular psychological follow-up sessions

According to The Athletic, Tonali now benefits from psychological support to fight against this addiction to gambling. The player, mentally broken as revealed by the Gazzetta dello Sport in November, is now supervised by Doctor Ian Mitchell, appointed head of the Newcastle psychological unit in October, and by an addictologist based in Rome and recognized in the country. The Italian press also revealed that the player had agreed to participate in awareness meetings on the dangers of online betting. In view of his important transfer last summer, the Italian international still harbors the ambition of returning to the field. This is why he is also taking intensive English lessons to help him adapt to his new club.

Although he limits his public appearances, Tonali regularly attends Newcastle matches from Darren Eales’ presidential box at St James’ Park. Recently, he also received a video call from Amanda Staveley, businesswoman and director of the club, who showed him her support during this difficult ordeal. But despite his 10-month suspension, the Lodi native has not put football on hold. The Athletic reports that he is now following a re-athletics program alongside club performance specialist Nick Grantham to keep fit. Last week, he was even seen during a Magpies collective training session, but behind closed doors, a sine qua none condition for him to be able to take part. We will still have to wait before seeing Tonali back in competition, even in simple friendly matches. According to Daily Mail, Tonali will not be allowed to participate in Newcastle’s friendly matches this summer, he who will already miss a meeting that he had certainly marked on his calendar: the Euro.