Sandro Tonali opens up on

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Sandro Tonali opens up on gambling addiction and Newcastle United support
Bruna Reis
5 – 6 minutes

Sandro Tonali has revealed he visited a factory on Tyneside that helped him change his perspective on gambling following his ban from football. The Newcastle United star admits he had struggled to come to terms with his addiction but is now working through his issues.

Less than four months after arriving at St James’ Park in a huge £55million move, Tonali was slapped with a ten-month ban from football for breaching betting rules. After his ban was confirmed in October 2023, the Italian had to wait until August 2024 to return to competitive football.

During that period, Tonali admitted he isolated himself from his family and friends. “In the first two months I was detached from everyone, then returning to life, training every day without having the match, I realised that I was paying for what I had done,” he told La Repubblica.
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“I haven’t had it [his mobile phone] for six months in the last year. Of course I felt a sense of freedom, the sensation of being okay even without it. Before, I couldn’t go from room to room, today I take it when I leave the house and leave it when I come back. I only take it back if mum, dad or a family member calls me.”

He now has a different perspective on gambling after attending a meeting with factory workers. “In Newcastle, in a factory that produces covers for gas pipes in the ocean, I went there because gambling is very widespread in England,” Tonali explained.

“There were those who told me, several months after the disqualification: ‘I stopped betting because of what happened to you.’ They had been compulsive gamblers for years. An Italian told me that an employee earns £2k a month, but sometimes needs to work overtime to support his family. He throws too much money away on gambling.”
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The support from Newcastle during that period was also significant for Tonali. “[Helped] a lot. My teammates and coach have always kept me inside, as have the staff and management,” the midfielder continued. “The Newcastle fans and the opposing fans have never judged me. Here they respect everyone’s problems, they don’t push things too far and they try to help.”

Newcastle are now reaping the rewards from that support. Tonali has returned to the Newcastle first team fold this season to produce some scintillating displays in the heart of the Magpies midfield, and is now one of the first names on Eddie Howe’s teamsheet – and attracting attention from elsewhere. It is down to the player himself, however for turning his life around – and it hasn’t been easy.

“In the first two months I was detached from everyone, then returning to life, training every day without having the match, I realised that I was paying for what I had done,” he admitted.

“My lifestyle was negative. I was closed off from everyone and this made me change my behavior: even with the people who loved me and whom I loved. I was like that both at the training ground and at home, with friends and family. Today, fortunately, I am different.”

It was an addiction that gripped the Italian star young. Born in Lodi, he first sprung to prominence with Brescia as a 17-year-old, helping them win Serie B. A move to giants AC Milan followed in 2020 aged 20, but by then his betting had already taken hold.

“It became a habit when I was 17-18.,” Tonali revealed. “And normality when it started to take up a lot of my time. The fact that it was online obscured me from everything, I closed myself in my shell.

“I actually think I never had it (knowledge of being addicted). When a person finds themselves in a situation like that, it’s difficult to ask them if they’re sick. They’ll always say no. Even if they feel that it’s not the case. They can’t think they have that problem, so they tend to hide it.”