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Sandro Tonali will not serve an extended ban unless he commits any further breaches of the FA betting rules.

The Newcastle midfielder is currently banned for 10 months after admitting he had placed bets on matches he was involved in.

Tonali is currently serving a 10-month ban
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Tonali is currently serving a 10-month banCredit: Getty

During this ban, Tonali was charged again for allegedly breaching the FA's betting rules for a second time.

The Magpies have now revealed the outcome of this investigation and the Italian has escaped further punishment.

They released a statement on Wednesday which reads: "Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been given a suspended two-month ban from competitive football by an independent Regulatory Commission after self-declaring breaches of FA Betting Rules.

"He has also been fined £20,000 and warned by the FA as to his future conduct. The banning period is fully suspended for the duration of the 2024/25 season, meaning he will be available to return to competitive football upon the conclusion of an existing ten-month sanction imposed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on 27 October 2023.

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"Provided that he does not commit any further breach of the FA Betting Rules during the suspension period, Sandro will not serve any part of the two-month sanction.

"As acknowledged by the FA in the independent Regulatory Commission’s written reasons, the level of assistance Sandro has provided by self-referring and fully cooperating with a subsequent investigation is extraordinary and unprecedented.

"Sandro made full admissions as to his betting activity, and did so in circumstances where there was no other evidence to support misconduct proceedings.

"Sandro is continuing to follow a therapeutic plan and educational programme with the club's full support and will continue to train with his teammates."

Tonali has been given a suspended two-month ban
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Tonali has been given a suspended two-month banCredit: Getty

So Tonali has been handed a suspended two-month ban, meaning he can play for Newcastle once his 10-month ban ends in August, provided he does not breach the FA betting rules again.

The £55million signing arrived at St. James' Park last summer but only made 12 appearances in all competitions before being suspended.

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It left Eddie Howe without one of his key men in midfield and his side have been hampered by his absence this season.

Having him back for the next campaign will be a huge boost for the Magpies and they will believe the correct decision has been made.

And so will Premier League legend Martin Keown who called for no further consequences for Tonali last week.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Keown said: "There has to be a jeopardy, when players put these bets on, there has to be a consequence to that action, and that's what we're seeing now.

"I can tell you now, players will be watching this and seeing it, people won't be putting bets on, and if they are, they're stupid.

"This is like changing the ashtrays for some of these players - betting on games - and their whole livelihood could go out the window.

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"I don't know think we're going to get much from it by extending his ban, I think Newcastle are suffering largely in all of this.

"Is it not punishment enough that Tonali is out for the whole season?"

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