64 million access missing 10 months
“It was a big shock, a big surprise. It was new for all of us to deal with. It came out of the blue,” Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth told reporters on Friday about the 10-month ban for £64m summer signing Sandro Tonali. Due to sports betting on illegal websites during his time at AC Milan and Brescia Calcio, the 23-year-old midfielder is not allowed to take part until the end of August 2024 and will therefore also miss the European Championships if Italy qualify. Ashworth spoke about a possible replacement in the winter, the legal processing of the transfer and self-doubt.
“If the right opportunities arise in January, we have nothing against it,” said the 52-year-old when asked about an external replacement for Tonali (quoted via “The Shields Gazette“). “We have things we can do. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an equivalent replacement. It could be a player who can play in a different position.” It is also possible to sign a player from Saudi Arabia – even if Newcastle itself belongs to a consortium chaired by the Public Investment Fund, which in turn is chaired by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is directed.
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A transfer from Saudi Arabia could therefore be examined more closely by the relevant authorities if the negotiated transfer fee appears surprisingly high or low: “The current rules and regulations state that there is nothing to prevent this. But there is a possibility that the various organizations will look into things in relation to partnered clubs and what can be done to acquire players at a fair market value. This has been the case for some time.”
Newcastle is working on the Tonali case – no statement about lawsuit against AC Milan
Ashworth was unable to answer whether the investment in Tonali, after all the second most expensive in the history of the “Magpies”, should have been prevented because they could have known about the upcoming proceedings. Newcastle wants to investigate the matter internally. He also couldn’t say whether legal action against Milan would be considered because the Rossoneri supposedly knew about the impending ban against the Italian international.
“It’s really difficult for me to deal with what other clubs know or don’t know. All we can do is look at our own internal investigation and our internal process.” For example, the Premier League club wants to find out the exact timeline of the Turin public prosecutor’s investigation. Ashworth said he has not spoken to any AC representatives since the revelations. However, he does not expect any problems in the second leg of the Champions League group phase in Newcastle on December 13th.
He found out about the allegations against Tonali through an Italian social media post. An Italian paparazzo, who was already in prison for blackmail, had incriminated Tonali, Nicolò Fagioli (22), who was banned for seven months, Nicolò Zaniolo (24) and other Serie A professionals. The investigations against many were dropped; the three named cooperated with the Italian authorities. This is also why Fagioli’s and Tonali’s bans were less than the sentence would have permitted. Both stated that they were addicted to gambling and had to undergo therapy in addition to the sports ban. It is still unclear whether and for how long Zaniolo will be suspended.
When asked whether Tonali would face salary penalties for breach of contract – he has signed until 2028 – Ashworth said the professional’s willingness to fully cooperate would be taken into account in the decision. “We’ve all done things we shouldn’t have done or things we regret. But our first task is to look after and support our player – he is part of our family. It’s probably more difficult for him than for anyone else. Sandro is, first and foremost, a human being. (…) In my experience, the board and owners are incredibly helpful people who want to support the player and his family. I know that Sandro has received support from the board members.”
And should Tonali still have placed bets after moving to Newcastle? In England the penalties for this are sometimes even higher than in Italy, where it is not generally prohibited – with exceptions such as games played by your own team. In this regard, the club is cooperating “fully” with the English FA. Tonali is an “outstanding professional and a first-class person”.
If they had prior knowledge, Newcastle would have questioned the Tonali transfer
Asked whether he would have refrained from signing Tonali if he had been aware of the investigation, Ashworth said: “I think when you know a player is going to be out for ten months, whether through a medical injury or something like that, then you have to either look at the contract again or structure it differently.”
He has never encountered a case like this in 16 years in the business. That’s why Ashworth questions himself: “He was a big signing for us. It was a big shock. You look at yourself and ask yourself: could I have done better? Could we have known? Should we have known? It’s a difficult question of what you can and can’t know about people and what you can and can’t verify in the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) world.”
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But: “As a player, based on his achievements, his character and his personality, there are no reservations. We are all disappointed that we are losing a player of Sandro’s caliber for ten months.” Newcastle is now checking whether Tonali can at least take part in friendly games against other clubs, for example in pre-season in the summer of 2024. The Italian should train in Newcastle in the coming months and not spend any more time in his home country than necessary. He has already started an individual training plan.”
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