Sandro Tonali is poised to make his long-awaited return for Newcastle United after serving out a 10-month ban for breaching gambling rules in Italy. The Italian midfielder was struck with the controversial suspension soon after joining the Magpies last season. He played so few games last season that his return is like the arrival of a new signing for Newcastle.
There is a sense of excitement among the Magpies faithful for the return of the energetic, creative midfielder. But Tonali’s past actions won’t be forgotten that easily, even though he’s admitted to have suffering from a gambling problem in the past.
Ahead of Newcastle’s Carabao Cup second round clash against Nottingham Forest – in which Tonali will mark his return – Eddie Howe was hit with a rather tricky question about his player’s gambling history.
A journalist for The Guardian newspaper, Louise Taylor, was straightforward with asking the gaffer to describe the exact ‘condition’ Tonali suffered from.
She asked Howe: “There is a kind of demarcation between a Gambling Addict and A Problem Gambler, with the latter being a sub-clinical thing. Is he a genuine addict or is there more of a problem inside of him?”
The Newcastle United manager simply refused to give an answer to that question, simply saying ‘I’m not going to go there’ and not even reacting to it in an emotional or aggressive fashion. It’s clear that he realized the triggering question was one to force an answer out of him which might’ve done more damage to his player’s reputation for his gambling issues.
But a lot of Newcastle fans have been absolutely infuriated about Taylor’s line of questioning in a press conference ahead of a Carabao Cup game.
The majority of Magpies’ faithful actually believe that Taylor is secretly a Mackem (term for a Sunderland fan) posing as a journalist and trying to bring disrepute to Newcastle United and Tonali’s reputation.
There are calls for Taylor to be banned from covering Newcastle’s matches or press conference based on the kind of triggering questions she asks.
Some fans believe that Taylor tried to belittle people suffering from addiction problems by her question which seems to insinuate whether Tonali is suffering from a ‘medical problem’.
With that being said, some fans are also defending Taylor’s line of questioning and believe that as a journalist she has a right to ask the hard-hitting questions.
This is especially relevant as Tonali has not given an interview with any media outlets since his betting suspension, only opting to talk to Newcastle’s private media ahead of his return.
Taylor also asked a question to Howe on if Tonali’s playing time will be impacted by him having to undergo a rehabilitation program for his past gambling issues, to which the gaffer hinted that it won’t.
The North-Eastern Football journalist for the Guardian has been working for the outlet for many years and even though her personal allegiance are unknown, she’s definitely not the kind to write stuff that will make her a darling for the Magpies faithful.
What Tonali can only do now is to stay well away from betting activities in his career and focus on making up to his teammates and the Newcastle United fans by proving that he didn’t lose any of his swagger in his ban period and having a triumphant return to action.