Sandro Tonali has not played for Newcastle since October - and won’t do until August at the earliest - but Notebook can reveal that a former Serie A referee and AC Milan ‘team manager’ has remained on Tyneside to support the midfielder.
Andrea Romeo has moved his family to live close to the player but he is NOT employed by the club, who have their own player liaison network.
However, Romeo continues to work for Tonali, who is serving a 10-month global ban after admitting to illegal gambling in Italy. He now faces further punishment after the Football Association hit him with 50 charges of betting on matches as a Newcastle player.
Romeo - a top-flight referee until 2013 - knows Tonali having been employed as Milan’s team manager from 2017. The 53-year-old only left the Serie A club when the Italy international moved to Newcastle in a surprise £52million deal last July. The Magpies, though, had no part in his arrival and we understand it was Tonali’s decision to have the aide with him in England.
Come October, the 23-year-old was being investigated for breaking betting rules in his home country. Newcastle launched an internal investigation into why they did not know it was coming, and among the questions asked were what did Milan and those close to Tonali know about his gambling addiction.
The club have since taken no legal action and have supported the player. They are also confident that any sanction from the FA will not see his ban extended beyond August.
However, there remains a feeling among some inside the club that sporting director Dan Ashworth was ultimately responsible for due diligence. He has since quit and is set to take up a similar role at Manchester United once a compensation package has been agreed.
Despite
Read on m.allfootballapp.com