Newcastle United have confirmed that midfielder Sandro Tonali will not be able to return to competitive football until August 27, 2024, with the club acknowledging his 10-month suspension.
During his pre-match press conference on Friday, Magpies head coach Eddie Howe said that there was a "high chance" of the Italy international facing Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, with the club, at that stage, not receiving official confirmation over the ban.
On Thursday, the president of the Italian Football Federation said that Tonali would be suspended for 10 months for breaching betting rules, having negotiated a plea bargain with Italian prosecutors.
"An agreement has already been reached between the Federal Prosecutor's Office and Sandro Tonali, which occurred before the referral, therefore it must be endorsed by the undersigned, which I have already done," Italian FA Chief Gabriele Gravina told reporters.
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"A plea bargain is envisaged for 18 months of which eight months is activity recovery, some concerns therapeutic activity and at least 16 face-to-face meetings as testimony.
"A plea bargain is foreseen, mitigating circumstances are foreseen, the boys collaborated beyond belief, so we continue to respect the rules we have set for ourselves.
"We can't just think about punishing the boys and not helping them recover. I think it's worth a lot more, rather than a month ban, eight months of giving talks about what they went through, in an honest way and with the right behaviour."
Newcastle have now released a statement confirming that Tonali will not be able to represent the club until next August, with his suspension officially starting on Friday.
"Sandro Tonali has been banned from competitive football for ten months, as effective from Friday, 27th October 2023, following illegal betting charges by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC)," read a statement on the club's official website.
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"FIGC's sanction includes an overall 18-month ban, with eight months commuted as the player participates in a therapeutic plan and educational programme in Italy consisting of 16 commitments.
"On the evening of Friday, 27th October, Newcastle United received confirmation that FIFA has endorsed FIGC's sanction to be applied worldwide, meaning Sandro will be eligible to return to competitive football from Tuesday, 27th August 2024."
Tonali will miss the remainder of the season and also Euro 2024, should Italy qualify, but there have been claims that he will be allowed to continue training with Newcastle and represent the club in friendly matches.
The midfielder has also been hit with a fine of €20,000 (£17,438) for breaching FIGC rules which forbid betting of any sort on football events organised by the FIGC, UEFA and FIFA.
Matt Law
