Sando Tonali is being investigated by the Italian Prosecutors Office and the Italian Football Federation for illegal betting activity, and the Newcastle player faces a lengthy ban as a result.
Sandro Tonali could play his final game for Newcastle on Saturday before being barred from betting on matches.
According to rumors in his homeland, the £55 million summer signing and self-confessed “betting addict” will miss next summer’s Euro 2024 championships if Italy qualifies.
Tonali traveled from Newcastle to Turin on Tuesday to meet with local prosecutors and Italian Football Association lawyers.
Juventus player Nicolo Fagioli has already been suspended for a year, with five months suspended, after admitting to unlawful betting and cooperating with investigators.
And, according to Tuttosport, Tonali has admitted to both inquiries that he bet on Milan and Brescia matches – and always won. In 2021-22, he won the title with Inter Milan.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian FA prosecutor will give Tonali a plea bargain before issuing a ban before next week’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund.
If Eddie Howe believes Tonali is able to play, Saturday’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace could be his last for a year. However, the Milan-based newspaper warned that if more proof is discovered, the sentence might be extended to three years.
Tonali, 23, handed a medical document to investigators on Sunday proving he has a gambling addiction. His agent Guiseppe Riso said: “Sandro is playing his most important game – against betting addiction. He’s in shock, very sad.”
“He is training at the moment. He can play on Saturday. He knows he made a mistake and is quite shaken. He is playing the most important game of his career – that of gambling addiction . I’m sure he’ll win.”
Newcastle and the Italian national team have both expressed their support for the most expensive Italian player in history. Tonali and Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo were expelled from the Italy camp last Thursday following a police raid.
Zaniolo has stated that he has never gambled on football, but he is currently under investigation for playing blackjack and poker on illegal gambling websites. According to Corriere dello Sport, after his pal Tonali was examined by prosecutors for more than three hours on Tuesday, the Aston Villa star asked friends, “Now what happens? Are they going to arrest me?”
This week, Zaniolo is scheduled to meet with prosecutors to review evidence gathered from data and chats seized on his phone.
Head coach Luciano Spalletti stated this week amid Italy’s “traumatic” build-up to the Euro 2024 qualifier at Wembley: “Everyone was surprised.” Everyone was irritated. Before they left, several of us were able to offer them a hug.
