Sandro Tonali banned for ten months: which other soccer players were punished for gambling?

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has received a ten-month ban for breaking gambling rules in Italy.

The suspension was announced by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) but will be applied across all FIFA and UEFA competitions.

The 23-year-old signed for Newcastle from childhood team AC Milan in July, for a deal worth around £55 million ($66m). He has impressed in his first months for the club but will now miss the remainder of the 2023/24 season.

Tonali’s agent argued that the player’s gambling addiction should be taken into account in sentencing, also noting that he had cooperated with the investigation. However, given that Tonali had placed bets on games in which he was involved for Milan, the FIGC felt that a serious punishment was required.

He is not the first player to fall foul of gambling regulations and a number of other Premier League stars have been hit with suspensions for betting infringements. Here are a few of the most high-profile culprits...

Ivan Toney, eight months

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The Brentford striker had been a crucial part of Brentford’s success in the top flights but the Bees have now been without Toney for much of 2023. He received an eight-month ban after admitting to 232 breaches of the FA’s gambling regulations. He was banned from all “football-related activities”, meaning that he is also unable to train with the team for the duration of the ban.

Daniel Sturridge, four months

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Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City striker Sturridge received a four-month worldwide ban and a £150,000 fine for passing inside information in 2018. The Englishman was close to a move to LaLiga side Sevilla and, although he did not bet on himself, told his brother to put money on the move. It was an expensive mistake for Sturridge, who did not actually make the move to Sevilla. His existing club Trabzonspor cancelled his contract in response to the ban.

Kieran Trippier, ten weeks

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One of Tonali’s Toon teammates, Kieran Trippier, has also received a ban for breaking betting regulations. His 2019 move to Atlético Madrid was the subject of an FA investigation that found that Trippier had told his friends of the move in advance, allowing one of them to place a lucrative bet on the transfer. Trippier denied knowing that his friend had made the bet, but he was still hit with a ten-week ban and £70,000 fine for his part in it.

Joey Barton, 13 months

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The controversial midfielder’s playing career was essentially ended by a 13-month ban for placing 1,260 bets on soccer games across a ten-year period. Investigators found that he had bet on at least 42 matches involving teams that he was playing for at the time. His contract with Burnley was cancelled when the ban was announced and he never played professionally again.