Newcastle's Italian international Sandro Tonali has been handed a ten-month ban for betting on football matches, including those involving AC Milan, his club from 2020 to 2023, on illegal betting platforms. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) made the sanction official this Thursday at noon.
The sanction was higher, 18 months, but after an agreement between the footballer's lawyers and the Italian Federation, part of the sanction has been commuted to community services. “We had to choose between thinking only about punishment or addressing certain important social aspects,” said Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian Federation.
In addition, Tonali must follow an anti-gambling program that includes meetings sponsored by the Federation to discuss addictions and sports betting. If he does not comply with everything required, the Italian footballer could see his suspension extended for up to 48 more months.
"An agreement has already been reached between the FIGC and Sandro Tonali. A plea agreement is expected for 18 months, of which 8 months of recovery activities, some of them therapeutic activity and at least 16 face-to-face meetings as testimony," revealed this Thursday Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian Federation.
Tonali, who last summer became the most expensive Italian player in history when he signed for Newcastle for 64 million euros, is the second player sanctioned in the sports betting affair, after Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli was banned for seven months.
The sanction, like that of his compatriot Fagioli (Juventus), will also include eight months of "alternative sanction" with 16 awareness talks, follow-up treatment to overcome gambling addiction and a financial fine of 20,000 euros.
The player admitted during the interrogations not only to having bet on football matches, but also to having bet on matches of his then team (Milan), although in matches in which he did not play.
This last fact, having bet on his own team's matches, was a differential for the FIGC when it came to issuing a sanction after the one imposed on Fagioli, who was left off the playing fields for 7 months, three less. However, Tonali's cooperation was key to a reduction in the punishment, which could have been a minimum of three years.
The footballer played yesterday in the Champions League in what will be his last minutes for a long time. He came on to the pitch in the 65th minute, replacing Longstaff in Newcastle's loss to Borussia Dortmund.
The ten-month suspension will mean that Tonali will not play again until August 2024, meaning he will miss next summer's Euro Cup, which takes place from June 14 to July 14 in Germany. The Italian international was a fixture in his national team.
