Newcastle United’s Italian international Sandro Tonali has been banned for ten months for his involvement in Italian football’s latest betting scandal. In addition, according to an agreement between the Italian Federation’s Sports Court (FIGC) and his lawyers, he must undergo therapy for a period of eight months, as FIGC President Gabriele Gravina announced on Thursday in Rome.
For the midfielder, the 2023/24 season has ended prematurely; He will also miss the European Championships in Germany in the summer, for which Italy still has to qualify. The agreement still needs to be officially approved by the highest sports court of the National Olympic Committee in Italy (Coni). He came on as a substitute in the Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund (0-1) on Wednesday. It might have been Tonali’s last game for a long time.
Tonali admitted that he had also bet on his own team’s games during his time at AC Milan. The 23-year-old only moved to England in the summer for more than 63 million euros. Tonali is accused of placing bets on the Rossoneri and also his former club Brescia on illegal online platforms during his time at Milan.
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Last week it became known that the public prosecutor’s office and the Italian Football Association were investigating allegations of illegal betting against Tonali and his compatriot Nicolò Zaniolo from Aston Villa. The duo had already been interviewed at the national team’s training camp and then returned to the clubs early.
