Newcastle United officials were quick to declare their dismay after star signing Sandro Tonali was handed a 10-month ban from competitive football last month for breaching Italian betting regulations. “It was a massive shock, a massive surprise,” Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth told the BBC. “Dealing with it was new to all of us. It came from nowhere.”
Tonali’s ban relates to infractions committed during his time playing in Italy; it’s not yet clear whether he had also begun betting on games in England after making his high-profile summer move to the Premier League. But…
