Sandro Tonali received a 10-month ban recently because of an investigation by the Italian Football Federation into illegal betting. Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth expressed his surprise and said that dealing with this situation was new for everyone involved.
Newcastle’s sporting director, Dan Ashworth, has expressed his surprise and concern regarding the Sandro Tonali betting breaches. He has also confirmed that the club is conducting an internal investigation into the transfer.
Tonali, a player signed for £55m from AC Milan, has been banned from playing for 10 months. This decision came after he agreed to a plea bargain during an investigation by the Italian Football Federation into illegal betting.
Ashworth admitted it was a complete surprise for Newcastle. They are now reviewing the processes involved in bringing him to St James’ Park.
As part of a detailed Q&A, Ashworth admitted that Tonali may have broken his contract and did not rule out the option of reducing his wages while he is away. However, he emphasized that his main priority is to protect the player and his mental health.
Ashworth said Newcastle will be active in the January transfer window if they find a potential replacement.
He confirmed that there are no current regulations to stop them from loaning players from other Saudi-owned clubs. There have been rumors linking them to Ruben Neves, who plays for Al Hilal.
What was your reaction when the news broke?
ASHWORTH: “It was a massive shock, a massive surprise. Dealing with it was new to all of us.
“First and foremost, Sandro is a human being. Everyone in this room has done things we shouldn’t have done or things we regret.
“Our first port of call is to look after and support him. It’s probably more difficult for him than anyone else. We have a programme to support him and thankfully he’s able to train with the team, which is great for his mental well-being.
Has he breached his contract?
ASHWORTH: “You could look at it like that. Within the contract there is always an amount of flexibility within that.
“It depends how they react when they break a rule etc. As a club, we go back to how well Sandro has reacted and acted since it came to the fore.”
In terms of negotiations with Sandro’s representative, is there any feeling it was done in bad faith given this was on the horizon and potentially known about?
ASHWORTH: “No.”
If you knew this was coming, would you have signed him?
ASHWORTH: “I think if you know a player’s going to be out for 10 months whether that’s through a medical injury or through something like this, you would either have to look at the deal again or structure the deal in a different manner.
“But as a player, from the performances of the player and the character and personality, no reservations.”
Will he split the time between here and Italy?
ASHWORTH: “No. Sandro will train with the team and stay connected to the team, maybe coming to watch games. It’s important he feels a connected part of the club, it is important for his own mental health.
“It won’t be him spending a large amount of the time away from the club (in Italy). There’s a regular program with some visits to Italy as part of the program. He will be going back for a day or two at time, but not for a month.”
Will you look to sign a replacement for Tonali in January?
ASHWORTH: “We always look two windows in advance so we will have planned for what we will try to do to strengthen the team in the summer of 2024.
“If the right opportunities come in January, we don’t mind bringing that forward. We did that with Anthony Gordon last January when we brought that forward.
“We are going to have to be quite creative and there will not be a large number of players coming in. But we do want to be active. We want to strengthen the squad and give us the best possible chance of success, but if the right player does not come up, we won’t do anything.”
What are the feelings of the owners and the board towards the situation?
ASHWORTH: “They are incredibly supportive and empathetic people who want to support. I know board members have been in touch with him and sent messages to show their support.”
Is the FA looking into breach of betting rules?
ASHWORTH: “They are fully aware of everything that is going on, we are fully cooperating. In terms of a further ban from the FA, I can’t look into the future, I can only deal with the present and the facts.”
This will be contentious, and you will know the reasons why, but there is nothing to stop you signing players on
ASHWORTH: “Currently, no.”
Do you think other Premier League clubs will try and stop that?
ASHWORTH: “The current rules and regulations say there is nothing to stop it. Currently.
“There is a potential that the various different organisations will look at things across related parties and what you can do to acquire players at a fair market value, which have already been in place for a quite a while.”
“We are still trying to unravel what it means in terms of playing games, but he can join in training on a regular basis.
“He was a big signing for us. We didn’t expect it. You look at yourself. Could I have done better? Could we have known? Should we have known? You look at your processes. I have been doing this for 16 years and it has never happened before.
“You pride yourself on your due diligence and getting the right characters. The culture in this group is very strong and that is not by chance. We spend an immense amount of time looking at the character as well as the player and the athlete.
“We are reviewing what we have done and we will continue to do it moving forwards. It’s a tricky one what you can and can’t know about people in this world. I have to reiterate he has been a top-class individual and professional about this.”
Is there a chance Milan could have known about it at the point of sale?
ASHWORTH: “It’s really difficult for me to get into what other clubs do or don’t know. All we can do is look at our own internal investigation and internal process. It’s a really difficult question for me to answer, I just don’t know.”
Have you spoken to Milan since?
ASHWORTH: “We have had no conversations with them since but obviously we will welcome them to SJP as we have done with Dortmund and PSG.”
Did you have a relationship with the agent before this deal and do you feel let down?
ASHWORTH: “I’d never previously done a deal with this particular agency before. No, I don’t feel let down. I think everyone was as surprised as we were that this was going to come out.”
Are you looking at at cutting Tonali’s wages during his absence?
ASHWORTH: “Any player’s contract situation is private and confidential.
“All I can say is that Sandro has been outstanding since this has happened and has been fully collaborative. He’s been an outstanding professional in that context.
“Beyond that, I cannot comment because it’s private and confidential.”
World of sports 
Leave a comment