A charge by the President of English Football has thrown Newcastle midfielder Sindo Donnelly into the maelstrom. The alleged illegal gambling charge has seen the 23-year-old Italy international face a two-month suspension, however, the terms of the probation put him on track to return to action on August 27th.
Looking back at Sindo Donnelly's career, he was heavily fined by the Italian FA in October last year for a ten-month suspension for illegal gambling while playing for AC Milan and underwent an eight-month gambling education course. A move to Newcastle did not free him from gambling and in March this year, the FA charged him with 50 illegal gambles in just two months after joining in August 2023.
During the course of the Independent Commission's investigation, Sindo Donnelly pleaded guilty to charges which included betting on four Newcastle matches, three of which he himself had played in. He was eventually fined £20,000 following a two-month suspension. The sentence is a small turnaround for Newcastle and Sindhu Donnelly, who will be able to make a successful return to the game as long as they can maintain their innocence while on probation.
The new Premier League season will start on August 17, and Sindo Donnelly is expected to miss two or three games at the beginning of the season. It is worth mentioning that he is even willing to take a pay cut in order to express his apology to the club. Whether he can clean up his act and win back the trust of the fans in this fiasco is still unknown.
