Sandro Tonali could be banned for up to 12 months after admitting to prosecutors leading an ongoing investigation into illegal gambling that he had placed bets on football, according to reports in Italy.
Newcastle’s summer signing is one of three players named in the study, including Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo and Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli.
Fagioli became the first player to speak directly to prosecutors and cooperate with the investigation after the news broke last week, and on Tuesday the 22-year-old was handed a seven-month football ban.
The ban for the player is a significant reduction from the usual minimum sentence of three years after the player admits his guilt and confesses to a gambling addiction.
On Tuesday, Tonali’s agent confirmed that the 23-year-old was also struggling with a gambling problem and that the midfielder is cooperating with authorities.
Sandro Tonali could face a possible 12-month football ban after cooperating with Italian authorities in their investigation into illegal gambling
Nicolo Fagioli was given a seven-month ban after making a similar plea offer on Tuesday
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Italian betting laws prohibit athletes from placing bets on the sports in which they participate.
But according to Gazetta dello SportTonali could face a longer ban than Fagioli if it were found that he had placed bets on his former side AC Milan – which could constitute an act of sporting misconduct under the country’s Sports Justice Code.
The midfielder is now believed to have met twice with prosecutor Giuseppe Chine – who spoke to Fagioli over the weekend. The second meeting took place on Tuesday.
Although Tonali’s move to Newcastle would mean that if the player had placed bets on Milan, he would not be personally involved in the outcome in any way. It is believed that if the player were to bet on the Rossoneri, this could be considered an aggravating circumstance. increase his penalty.
By cooperating, Tonali could cut any potential ban in half based on a settlement, but things could get complicated if there are discrepancies between what Tonali told prosecutors and anything found on the player’s phones or devices.
Zaniolo, Tonali and Fagioli had their electronics seized on Thursday as part of the investigation, which also saw the Italian national team training camp raided by authorities when they tried to interview Zaniolo and Tonali.
Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti called the raid ‘traumatic’ and described his players as ‘absolutely distraught’ by the investigation.
In addition to a possible sanction, Tonali could also expect additional prescribed measures like those handed to Fagioli, including therapy for a gambling addiction and meetings with young players to discuss the consequences of illegal betting in football.
Should the 23-year-old have placed a bet on his former team Milan, any potential sanction could be compounded by possible sporting misconduct.
The Newcastle midfielder also met with criminal prosecutors at the Palace of Justice in Turin
After meeting with prosecutors over alleged sports crimes, Tonali is then said to have spoken with prosecutor Manuela Pedrotta, who is leading an investigation into a gambling organization on illegal online platforms.
Tonali is said to have fully cooperated with the parallel investigation.
Zaniolo, who joined Galatasaray on loan from Aston Villa during the summer transfer window, is said to be not seeking a settlement but instead a full acquittal.
The former Roma player is said to be adamant that he only placed bets on online poker and blackjack games – which does not breach the Sports Justice Code.
