Newcastle United have confirmed that Italy international Sandro Tonali will be eligible to return to competitive first team football on August 28 following a year-long suspension for his involvement in prohibited gambling activity.
Last autumn, Tonali confessed to FIGC prosecutors that he had placed bets on football, and on his own teams while playing for Milan and Brescia.
It is against the rules for football players to bet on any sporting event, but bets on games involving their own teams tend to warrant much heftier punishments.
The 24-year-old, who had only moved to Newcastle a few months before his ban was confirmed, was eventually suspended for 10 months and was also handed a €20,000 fine and instructed to attend a series of events warning others of the dangers of gambling.
Newcastle confirm Tonali return date
Newcastle have confirmed that Tonali is able to return to competitive matchday action from Wednesday, August 28 onwards.
That means that he now has just three matches remaining until the end of his suspension.
Newcastle kick their Premier League season off on Saturday afternoon with a visit from newly-promoted Southampton. They will then make the long journey south to face Bournemouth the following weekend, before facing Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup the Wednesday after that.
Tonali will then be eligible to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on September 1, the last league fixture before the first international break of the season.
🇮🇹 We can announce that Sandro Tonali will return to selection on Wednesday, 28 August following the conclusion of his ten-month ban from competitive football pic.twitter.com/M50U0fkwOQ
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 15, 2024
pretty sure their tweet states 28th* and not 24th.