Sandro Tonali 'happy’ to have helped others with gambling issues during ban

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali says he hopes his ten-month ban for betting breaches has helped give other problem gamblers the strength to address their issues.

The 24-year-old Italian international moved to St James' Park from AC Milan in July 2023 in a £55 million deal, only to be given a worldwide suspension by the Italian Football Federation in October after admitting to a number of gambling offences.

Tonali will be in the squad for the Magpies' Carabao Cup second round clash with Nottingham Forest as the ban comes to an end.

Speaking to NUFC TV, he said: “Especially in the first three months, I met a lot of people with ordinary jobs, especially in Newcastle, who had this problem and who had never spoken before now.

“And they did so when it all came out, when the articles came out and my problem was made public, so after this they decided to get help and stop bottling things up, so this made me very happy.

“These people got help just by talking, at first by talking but then with another one thousand ways. But the first step, the biggest step is being able to talk about this huge thing you’re carrying inside of you that you’ve never done before and you don’t have the courage to do.

“You have this enormous sort of block and this is the biggest step to take to resolve this problem.”

Alongside his suspension, Tonali has undergone an education programme and also made 16 trips back to Italy to help educate the next generation of players about some of the issues they could encounter.

He said: “I’m happy because it’s the first time after 10 months, 11 months, and I’m feeling good because I know the team was here with me and the fans were here with me and I have never been alone in these 10 months.

“It was very, very, very difficult in October, November and December, the first three months, and now I feel it’s a new time.

“Ten months is a long time, especially because a footballer lives for (matchdays), so it was hard work. I did work, though. I trained every day, even more than when I was playing.”

Speaking ahead of the game, Newcastle's head coach Eddie Howe said the midfielder would experience a "range of emotions on his return."

He said: “When you have a long time out, you have a long time to analyse and reflect.

“Now it is just back to doing what he loves. It will be an incredible release for him. I want Sandro to come back and enjoy his football. He’s really well liked by his team-mates.”

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