NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Sandro Tonali is set to make his return for Newcastle on Wednesday after a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, with manager Eddie Howe saying the Italy midfielder feels “at the next stage” of his career.
Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan in the offseason of 2023 but only played 12 games before he was handed a long suspension by the Italian soccer federation in October for betting on Milan and another Italian club, Brescia, when he played for those teams.
An independent regulatory commission also sanctioned Tonali with an extra two-month ban that was suspended until the end of this season.
The 10-month suspension ends late Tuesday, enabling Tonali to be available for Newcastle’s League Cup match at Nottingham Forest the following day.
Howe said Tonali would be in the squad provided he isn’t injured in the final training session Tuesday and said the midfielder will experience a range of emotions.
“Probably a lot of excitement — you feel like you are at the next stage of your career really,” Howe said. “When you have a long period of time out, (you have) a long time to think, analyze and reflect.
“I’m sure he’s done all of those things and now he’s doing what he loves, which is playing football and that will be an incredible release for him."
Tonali has been back in training with Newcastle but hasn’t been able to play in any friendlies, though British newspaper The Guardian has reported he took part in a behind-closed-doors game against Burnley recently with coaching staff as referees.
“He’s fit, he just doesn’t have the match (fitness), the bigger spaces, the 11 vs. 11. Every footballer will tell you what is the most important thing – the game time," Howe said.
“But he’s done everything else, has completed all the training for a long period of time, he’s worked incredibly hard with the sports-science team to be on top of his fitness and make sure he’s fitter than when he got banned.”
Howe said the microscope will be on Tonali for some time.
“I think he understands that, we understand that. It’s small steps,” Howe said. “I think for us, we just expect him to be himself and play his game.
“He is a very intelligent footballer, a very good technician. He has to play to his strengths and not do anything out of the ordinary — that will be hugely effective for us.”
Tonali’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, acknowledged around the time the midfielder’s ban was issued that his client had a gambling problem. Tonali agreed to a plea bargain with the Italian federation that included therapy for a gambling addiction.
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FILE - Newcastle's Sandro Tonali applauds as he leaves the pitch during the Champions League group F soccer match between AC Milan and Newcastle at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sept. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
Tonali at the 'next stage' of career ahead of return from gambling ban, says Newcastle manager Howe
Tonali at the 'next stage' of career ahead of return from gambling ban, says Newcastle manager Howe
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A military court in Congo handed down death sentences Friday to 37 people, including three Americans, after convicting them on charges of participating in a coup attempt.
The defendants, most of them Congolese but also including a Briton, Belgian and Canadian, have five days to appeal the verdict on charges that included attempted coup, terrorism and criminal association. Fourteen people were acquitted in the trial, which opened in June.
The court convicted the 37 defendants and imposed “the harshest penalty, that of death” in the verdict delivered by the presiding judge, Maj. Freddy Ehuma, at an open-air military court proceeding that was broadcast live on TV. The three Americans, wearing blue and yellow prison clothes and sitting in plastic chairs, appeared stoic as a translator explained their sentence.
Richard Bondo, the lawyer who defended the six foreigners, said he disputed whether the death penalty could currently be imposed in Congo, despite its reinstatement earlier this year, and said his clients had inadequate interpreters during the investigation of the case.
"We will challenge this decision on appeal,” Bondo said.
Six people were killed during the botched coup attempt led by the little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in May that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. Malanga was fatally shot while resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, the Congolese army said.
Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, who is a U.S. citizen, and two other Americans were convicted in the the attack. His mother, Brittney Sawyer, has said her son is innocent and was simply following his father, who considered himself president of a shadow government in exile.
In the months since her son's arrest, Sawyer has declined multiple interview requests and has focused her energy on fundraising to send Marcel money for food, hygiene products and a bed. He has been sleeping on the floor of his prison cell and is suffering from a liver disease, she said.
The other Americans were Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, who flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed was a vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company. The company was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique’s government, and a report by the Africa Intelligence newsletter.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington on Friday that the federal government was aware of the verdict.
“We understand that the legal process in the DRC allows for defendants to appeal the court’s decision," Miller said. "Embassy staff have been attending these proceedings as they’ve gone through the process. We continue to attend the proceedings and follow the developments closely.”
Thompson had been invited on an Africa trip by the younger Malanga, his former high school football teammate in a Salt Lake City suburb. But the itinerary might have included more than sightseeing. Other teammates alleged that Marcel had offered up to $100,000 to join him on a “security job” in Congo.
Thompson’s family maintains he had no knowledge of the elder Malanga’s intentions, no plans for political activism and didn’t even plan to enter Congo. He and the Malangas were meant to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, his stepmother, Miranda Thompson, told The Associated Press in May.
The Thompsons have been working with a lawyer in their home state of Utah to urge the U.S. government to intervene. The offices of Utah's U.S. Sens. Mitt Romney and Mike Lee did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.
Last month, the military prosecutor, Lt. Col. Innocent Radjabu. called on the judges to sentence to death all of the defendants, except for one who suffers from “psychological problems.”
Earlier this year, Congo reinstated the death penalty, lifting a more than two-decade-old moratorium, as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks in the country.
Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed from Washington.
Tyler Thompson, left, Marcel Malanga and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
America Marcel Malanga attends a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
America Tyler Thompson attends a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
American Tyler Thompson arrives for a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
Tyler Thompson, left, Marcel Malanga and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
American Marcel Malanga arrives for a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
Back row, Tyler Thompson, 2nd left, Marcel Malanga, center, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 2nd right, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
American Marcel Malanga, fourth right, stands with others during a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
FILE - From left T,yler Thompson Jr, Marcel Malanga and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, all American citizens, face the court in Kinshasa with 52 other defendants on June 7, 2024, accused of a role in last month's attempted coup in Congo led by little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in which six people were killed. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
