'Isn't something that'll go away'- Eddie Howe makes Sandro Tonali appeal amidst Newcastle United blow

Eddie Howe has made an appeal for leniency after it was announced on Thursday Sandro Tonali faces further charges for his illegal betting.

Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct by the FA for alleged betting which could see the Newcastle United player face further sanctions in addition to the 10 month ban he’s currently serving.

In a statement the FA said: “Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules. 

“It’s alleged that the Newcastle United midfielder breached FA Rule E8 50 times by placing bets on football matches between 12 August 2023 and 12 October 2023.  “Sandro Tonali has until 5 April to respond.” Many believe further punishment will run concurrently to his current 10 month ban. And Eddie Howe is hopeful that this will be the case.

"Yesterday was no surprise. We've been supporting him through this," said Eddie Howe.

"I certainly hope for Sandro that there is no further consequences. “He has suffered during this period, he has sought help, he's been very honest, he has admitted he has an issue, and I think the best thing for Sandro would be to resume his career having taken his punishment and having learned a lot of lessons from this.

"He's seeking help on a regular basis, this isn't something that'll go away for him. He has regular meetings in Italy and England to deal with the problems he has."

Howe went on to emphasise Tonali's betting is an illness and and that betting is a wider societal issue that doesn't just impact the 23-year-old:

"The illness didn't stop when he moved from Italy to England. That illness was there- people should look at it that way. Not let's throw the book at him and let's punish him even further. I don't think it gets to the root of the problem.

"We need to protect all of our players. It's something that's open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society. This isn't just a problem for Sandro.