2023-10-22 05:54:53
Sandro Tonali, targeted by an investigation into illicit sports betting, is “available” to play with Newcastle, Magpies coach Eddie Howe said on Friday, assuring that the club would “protect” the young Italian and “try to give him all the support he needs.”
“As a football club, we will immediately embrace him, protect him, try to give him the love and support that he needs to find solutions to the problems that he has had,” Howe said in press conference, on the eve of facing Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The manager of Newcastle, opponent of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, does not rule out fielding the 23-year-old midfielder, left out of the Italy team gathering during the international break after being questioned by the police for possible illicit sports betting.
“From what I’ve seen, he manages his emotions in an incredibly strong way” but “inside, I’m sure there’s a lot going on,” commented the coach who, on Saturday, will choose an eleven starting “trying to make the best decision for the team”.
“Footballers are human beings”
Howe said he heard the news through Dan Ashworth, a club official who called him during the international break. “It was a total surprise for me, for him, for everyone,” he said. “My first instinct was to make sure Sandro was okay.”
“Footballers are human beings, it is a mistake to consider them otherwise. They have, like all of us, vulnerabilities, weaknesses” and “the main thing is to identify them” and then try to “help them reach the best possible level on the football field”, he added . Supporting him is “absolutely crucial”, he summarized. “It’s very easy to forget how young he is. He had changes in his life, leaving Italy to come to England. It’s hard enough to deal with and now he has this situation to face, he noted.
Also targeted by justice in this sports betting affair, Italian international Nicolo Zaniolo is available to his coach for Aston Villa’s match against West Ham this weekend, his club has confirmed. For his part, Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus Turin) received a seven-month suspension.
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