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By George Ramsay, CNN.
(CNN) — Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has been charged by the English Football Association (FA) with allegedly breaking betting rules 50 times last year.
The FA, the governing body of English football, said on Thursday that Tonali faces allegations stemming from bets placed between August 12 and October 12.
CNN contacted Tonali’s reps for comment. The FA gave him till April 5 to answer to the charges.
The 23-year-old is already serving a 10-month ban from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for violating betting procedures while playing for AC Milan, but the FA charges stem from his time with Newcastle.
Tonali switched from AC Milan to Newcastle in
Due to his current FIGC ban, he will be unable to represent Newcastle or the Italian national team until August, missing the balance of his club’s domestic campaign as well as the upcoming European Championships with Italy.
Tonali agreed to undergo a therapy plan for gambling concerns, which his lawyers argued were linked to gambling addiction, as well as make 16 community service appearances.
Newcastle acknowledged the charges against Tonali in a statement released on Thursday adding that “Sandro continues to fully comply with relevant investigations and retains the club’s full support.”
“Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time.”
Tonali is not the only Premier League player who has missed significant amounts of time this season due to betting on matches. Brentford striker Ivan Toney was reinstated from an eight-month ban in January after confessing to 232 betting violations by the FA.
Toney, who was also fined £50,000 (about $63,000), scored his first goal for England against Belgium earlier this week.
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CNN’s Ben Morse contributed to the reporting.
