Specifically, the Newcastle United homepage announced: “We can confirm that Sandro Tonali is being investigated by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in connection with illegal betting activities.
Sandro is fully engaged in the investigation and will continue to cooperate with all relevant authorities. The player and his family will continue to receive the full support of the club.
As this process is ongoing, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to comment further at this time.”
Tonali is being investigated for betting behavior.
The betting scandal is shaking Italian football. Most recently, after a long period of investigation, prosecutors officially imposed a penalty on Nicolo Fagioli. He was suspended for 7 months and paid a fine of up to 12,500 euros.
Fagioli admitted to being “addicted to betting” a few months ago and informed parent club Juventus in August, before the 22-year-old player’s name was leaked to the media. Fagioli’s sentence was reduced because the 22-year-old player immediately cooperated with authorities, providing important information for the investigation.
Immediately, two compatriots Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo were also investigated. The duo had their electronic devices confiscated by the police and immediately left the Italian team to return to the parent club. Remarkable, Tonali is believed to be the mastermind.
Accordingly, Italian media confirmed that Tonali suggested that Fagioli install and bet through an illegal application. This could be a circumstance against Tonali. At that time, the punishment for Tonali and other players involved could be higher because FIGC needs to be a deterrent. Tonali is likely to receive the heaviest penalty of a 3-year ban.
Tonali even admitted to the Prosecutor’s Office that he bet on AC Milan matches during his time with this club. Betting on the team you play for can constitute a crime of sporting misconduct, according to article 30 of the Italian code.
Tonali is at risk of being severely fined.
At this time, the 70 million euro signature of the Magpies realized his mistake and accepted the help of experts to overcome his addiction to betting, with the aim of returning to play soon, and at the same time wishing to help Young players should avoid following in the same footsteps.
Tonali appeared in a total of 130 matches, scored 7 goals and had 13 assists for AC Milan before joining Newcastle United in the summer of 2023. He made important contributions to helping Milan win the Serie A championship in the 2021/22 season. .
Since the beginning of the 2023/24 season, Tonali has played quite well and gradually helped Newcastle United climb to 8th place on the Premier League rankings after 8 rounds. With the current scandal, Tonali’s career could be ruined.
Last season, Brentford’s Ivan Toney was banned from playing for 8 months due to illegal betting. It is highly likely that Newcastle United will lose Tonali’s services in the near future.
Tieu Lam | 21:36 October 18, 2023
