Newcastle United coach Eddie Howe says Sandro Tonali’s illness ‘is still there’ and admits he’d be ‘hugely disappointed’ if the ban was extended.
Tonali was charged with misconduct by the FA on Thursday following allegations that the Italy international had placed 50 bets on football matches during the first two months of his time at Newcastle and before the beginning of a FIGC investigation in October 2023.
Tonali has been banned for 10 months and is currently expected to return to action on August 27, 2024. Newcastle coach Howe has spoken for the first time since the FA statement was released.
“It [the FA charges] was no surprise to us,” said the English tactician as quoted by The Telegraph.
“Sandro, from day one, co-operated and was very honest with the club, with us, with the authorities in what he had done and the issues that he had. So, yesterday [Thursday] was no surprise.
“Obviously, it may have been a surprise externally for other people to hear this news, but we’ve been supporting him through this period.”
Tonali’s agent, Beppe Riso, said in October that his client suffered from a gambling addiction. The Italian midfielder has caught help and is getting treatment.
“Very much so [this is an illness]. Of course, the news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn’t stop when he moved from Italy to England, that illness was there and people should look at it that way,” continued Howe.
“Not ‘Let’s throw the book at him and let’s punish him even further’ because I don’t think that gets to the root of the problem.
“We need to protect all our players because this is something that’s open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society, so this isn’t just a problem for Sandro.”
It remains to be seen if the FA will punish Tonali further or if the English Football Association will consider the current ban enough, provided that Tonali is found guilty.
What Howe said about Tonali’s illness and suspension
“I would say at the moment that is a hope [the ban runs concurrently], but we don’t have any specific information to say there is clarity on it,” said Howe.
“We hope, we certainly hope strongly for Sandro that will be the case. I will be hugely disappointed if that ban was extended.
“I don’t feel let down. Sandro has an illness. If this was associated with another form of illness, I think there would be a lot more sympathy and understanding.
“That illness is still there. It was only when everything that had happened – instantly he was very apologetic and sorry for what he had done – that he needed help.
“We have tried, along with Sandro’s representatives and his family, to get him the help that he needs to recover from this.
“He is seeking help on a regular basis. This is something that won’t go away for him, so he has regular meetings in Italy and in England to deal with the problems that he has.”
“This isn’t a Newcastle problem, this is something that is open to every young person in the world and is becoming more accessible, more relevant.
“I am not here to say what should happen, but I am here to say there needs to be thought about what we do next,” concluded Howe.
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