Sandro Tonali under FA investigation for possible further betting offences
Sandro Tonali is still training with Newcastle (Owen Humphreys/PA)
The Football Association is investigating whether Sandro Tonali breached betting rules after he joined Newcastle.
The 23-year-old Italy midfielder, who moved to the Magpies from AC Milan for £55million over the summer, has been suspended for 10 months by the Italian Football Federation.
Tonali was alleged to have placed bets on games involving former clubs Brescia and Milan during his spells with them.
The ban was subsequently ratified by FIFA after Tonali agreed a plea bargain as part of an investigation into illegal betting activity.
Sandro Tonali signed for Newcastle from AC Milan in the summer (Owen Humphreys/PA)
The PA news agency understands the FA is now investigating whether he was involved in gambling on football following his move to England.
Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth admits the probe into Tonali has been “a whirlwind” and a “massive shock”.
Tonali found himself at the centre of the probe during last month’s international break.
“It was a massive shock, a massive surprise. Dealing with it was new to all of us. It came from nowhere,” said Ashworth.
“We first became aware of it when was there a potential allegation on social media. I spoke with his representatives and it just happened really quickly.
Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth described the saga as “a massive shock” (Nick Potts/PA)
“Our first thought was to protect our player, he is part of our family, and to give him the help and support he needed. We wanted to understand exactly what had happened and work transparently with the authorities.
“Sandro wanted to do that from the off as well. It was a bit of a whirlwind really. We got to where we were on Friday where the
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