[ad_1]
Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth admitted the club were shocked to discover midfielder Sandro Tonali had bet on matches during his time with AC Milan that led to a 10-month ban from football.
Tonali cost the Magpies a reported £60 million ($76 million) in July to become the most expensive Italian player of all time.
However, he played just 12 times for the Premier League club before being banned as part of an investigation by Italian prosecutors into gambling on football.
ICC World Cup: Schedule | Results | Points Table | Most Runs | Most Wickets
The 23-year-old placed multiple bets including on matches involving Milan during his time with the Italian giants.
His agent has said Tonali has a gambling addiction.
The English Football Association are also reportedly investigating whether Tonali broke betting rules after joining Newcastle.
Players are not permitted to gamble on any football matches, whether they are involved or not.
“It was a massive shock, a massive surprise. Dealing with it was new to all of us. It came from nowhere,” Ashworth told reporters on Friday.
“He was a big signing for us. We didn’t expect it. You look at yourself. Could I have done better? Could we have known? Should we have known? You look at your processes.
“I have been doing this for 16 years and it has never happened before.”
Ashworth refused to be drawn on whether Milan knew of Tonali’s gambling prior to the transfer and the possibility of legal action if they did.
“It’s really difficult for me to get into what other clubs do or don’t know,” he added.
“All we can do is look at our own internal investigation and internal process. It’s a really difficult question for me to answer – I just don’t know.
Ashworth said Tonali had been a “top-class individual and professional” since news of his betting broke.
But he refused to deny that the player’s salary may be cut during his ban.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
[ad_2]
Source link
