Newcastle changes players as they ‘wonder’ whether AC Milan was aware of Sandro Tonali.
Sandro Tonali, a midfielder for Newcastle United, concealed his gambling addiction from even those closest to him, but the way the black and whites conduct their due diligence will still change.
Future signings will be “scrutinized” differently by Newcastle United as the Magpies “question” whether AC Milan was aware of Sandro Tonali’s gambling problem.
The club’s loan coordinator, Shola Ameobi, made this claim after the FA accused the suspended Tonali of additional betting offenses. The Football Association (FA) has claimed that Tonali placed 50 wagers on matches between August 12, 2023 and October 12, 2023 after his £55 million move to Newcastle. Tonali has already been granted a 10-month ban from his time in Italy, which is effective until August.
Newcastle are hopeful that any subsequent ban will run concurrently to Tonali’s existing suspension and Eddie Howe has urged the authorities to not ‘throw the book’ at the midfielder, who has an ‘illness’. Howe has insisted that there was ‘no way’ Newcastle could have known about Tonali’s issues, which the 23-year-old even hid from his ‘closest family’, but the fallout did prompt an internal club review.
Dan Ashworth previously said he ‘just didn’t know’ when asked if AC Milan could have been aware and the outgoing sporting director added that it was ‘really difficult for me to get into what other clubs do or don’t know’. AC Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani, for his part, said the Rossoneri ‘read the news like you’ while boss Stefano Pioli insisted he ‘didn’t know anything’, which is understandable given the nature of such a private addiction.
“It’s really hard when a player has something that no one knows about,” Ameobi told Stadium Astro. “He has hidden it. Whether AC Milan knew or not, that’s up in the air and I know that’s something that Newcastle United are questioning, but the player didn’t tell anyone. It’s very hard to get anything out of a player if he’s not willing to disclose it and he’s not willing to own up to it. I know the way that we recruit, the manner in which we scrutinise every incoming player, will be different now because of what’s happened.”
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