22 October 2023 , 07:00
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Considering there has been no denial of reports in Italy that suggest Sandro Tonali has admitted placing bets on Milan matches during his time as a player there and to using illegal betting sites, Newcastle United’s support for him is extremely admirable.
“He and his family will continue to receive the club’s full support,” said a club statement on Wednesday. Eddie Howe elaborated on that support when, on Friday, he spoke about the situation. “As a club, we throw our arms around him, protect him and give him love and support,” said the Newcastle manager.
“I see the person, I see the human, I see the pain and the distress. I say he is a top lad and a top character. That is why my thoughts are always with the player and making sure we look after him.”
And all of that is exactly what you would expect from Howe, particularly after Tonali’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, described his client as a ‘gambling addict.’ Addicts need help, that much is for sure.
But Newcastle’s and Howe’s immediate, unequivocal backing for their £55million player - before the facts of his case are known - is interesting. What if Tonali knew this investigation was coming down the line when he signed for Newcastle?
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What if his Serie A club, Milan, knew this was coming down the line when they, rather surprisingly, sold him? Where do Newcastle stand on players breaking rules that have been made clear to them?
Because addiction can be at the heart of these matters and because everyone knows the misery that gambling can bring, the subject of players being punished for breaking regulations one betting can be a sensitive one.
Sandro Tonali has been hit with betting accusations (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)From their responses, it is clear Newcastle and Howe see Tonali as much a victim as sinner here … if not more so. And that might have been the case when Ivan Toney was banned for eight months for breaking betting rules. Toney’s breaches numbered 232 over a four-year period, an average of one a week.
A psychiatrist, Dr Philip Hopley, diagnosed Toney as having a ‘gambling addiction.’ Hopefully, the treatment Toney has, presumably, been getting produces the desired effect. Ditto with Tonali. One of the big talking points produced by these cases revolves around football’s relationship with gambling.
But perhaps it is worth pointing out that the Tonali and Toney cases - along with a handful of recent others - remain outliers. Considering the number of professional footballers - men and women between the ages of 17 and mid-to-late thirties - the resistance to the temptation to bet on the game you play APPEARS to be quite strong.
The other big issue, of course, is whether or not football has a moral responsibility NOT to promote gambling. It probably has but, then again, the Government sanctions the constant promotion of the National Lottery, essentially urging us ALL to gamble.
So, it is a very complex discussion. What is for sure is that gambling addicts need assistance. What is also for sure is that thousands of professional footballers do not break the betting rules. Those that do might well deserve help … but they also deserve punishment.
The Italian midfielder could be facing a huge ban (Getty Images)Good on Harry Maguire for again showing the character to put on another decent England performance despite his club situation and despite many pundits saying he should not be picked.
And he fronts up, Harry, speaking openly and honestly to the media ahead of the two most recent internationals. But his insistence you are not a ‘proper England fan’ if you boo an England player - in this instance, Jordan Henderson - is nonsense.
Because the bottom line is that you can be a ‘proper England fan; and show a ‘proper’ dislike for hypocrisy at the same time. The two things are not mutually exclusive.
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For what it is worth, the jeering aimed at Henderson a week last Friday was hardly cacophonous. But those who felt compelled to boo had the right to do so … and remain ‘proper England fans’, Harry.
Harry Maguire's comments on England fans haven't gone down well (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)In terms of criticism from a particular set of football followers - and pundits - it is hard to think of an elite player who has had more flak than Neymar.
He is Brazil’s record scorer and formed part of a three-man Barcelona attack that was as good as there has been. Yet for some reason, he has never won the hearts and minds of a broad United Kingdom fanbase.
But as he starts another fightback from serious injury - the 31-year-old ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament last week, just seven months after ankle ligament surgery - we should wish him well.
Whether his approach to the game finds favour or not - and whether or not you were appalled by his move to Saudi - Neymar was a rare talent and as he starts another tough rehabilitation, you can’t help but wonder if we have seen the best of him.
Neymar was visibly emotional after his injury blow this week (AFP via Getty Images)There is not enough space here to explain the format for the UEFA Women’s Champions League but all you need to know is that Arsenal, Manchester United, Wolfsburg and Juventus did not make it through to the group stages.
The two English clubs were knocked out by Paris St Germain, Wolfsburg by Paris FC and Juventus by Eintracht Frankfurt. Meanwhile, BK Hacken were playing FC Twente for a place in the group stages. BK Hacken got through.
You should not just be handed a place in the group stages because you are a big name but neither should powerhouses of the game be knocking each other out in preliminary rounds. UEFA needs to sort it out.
The airing of Premier League matches continues to be a hot topic (Paul Dennis/TGS Photo/REX/Shutterstock)The 3pm blackout will remain and it looks like Sunday night matches are still a no-go but when the new TV deals are done - and kick in for the 2025-26 season - the bottom line is that there will be 270 Premier League matches broadcast live as opposed to the current 200.
For that, the television companies will have to pay club owners more money. And for more money, the television companies will get even more power. So, the next time a manager bleats about a schedule, tell him where to go. Go and see his owner.
TWEET OF THE WEEK: @HKane “Incredible group of lads, unreal performance tonight. Euro 2024 here we come!!”
It is sometimes easy to forget how comfortable this England side makes tournament qualification look. But the skipper is only half-right … only success at Euro 2024 will confirm this squad as ‘an incredible group of lads’.