19 October 2023 , 13:12
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Sandro Tonali could play his final game of the season for Newcastle on Saturday before the Italy star is banned for betting on matches.
And reports in his homeland claim the £55m summer signing and self-confessed “betting addict” is set to miss next summer’s Euro 2024 championships - if Italy qualify. Tonali flew from Newcastle to Turin on Tuesday to speak to local prosecutors and Italian FA lawyers.
Juventus star Nicolo Fagioli has already been suspended for 12 months - including five suspended - after confessing to illegal betting activity and co-operating with authorities.
And Tuttosport today reports that Tonali has confessed to both investigations that he has bet on matches of his former clubs Milan and Brescia - and always to win. He won the title with Milan in 2021-22.
La Gazzetta dello Sport states today that the Italian FA prosecutor will offer Tonali a plea bargain before announcing a ban before next week’s Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund.
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If Eddie Howe thinks Tonali is in a fit state to play, Saturday’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace could be his last for 12 months. But the Milan-based daily warned the sentence could be longer if further evidence emerges with a three-year ban possible.
Tonali, 23, presented a medical certificate to investigators on Sunday showing he suffers from a gambling problem and his agent Guiseppe Riso said: "Sandro is playing his most important game - against betting addiction. He's in shock, very sad.
Tonali has admitted to betting on AC Milan games while playing for the Italian giants (Marco Canoniero/REX/Shutterstock)"He is training at the moment. He can play 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."
Both Newcastle and the Italy national team have offered support and sympathy to the most expensive Italian player in history. Tonali and Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo were sent home from the Italy camp last Thursday after a police raid.
Zaniolo has insisted he has never gambled on football but still faces investigation for playing blackjack and poker on illegal betting sites. After his friend Tonali was interviewed by prosecutors for over three hours on Tuesday, Corriere dello Sport claims the Aston Villa star asked friends: “Now what happens? Are they going to arrest me?”
Zaniolo is expected to meet with prosecutors this week to discuss evidence obtained from data and chats found on his mobile phone.
Speaking during Italy’s “traumatic” build-up to the Euro 2024 qualifier at Wembley this week, head coach Luciano Spalletti said: “Everyone was surprised. Everyone was upset. Some of us were able to give them a hug before they went home.
"The players themselves were absolutely distraught.I do think it is a form of temptation, gambling is a form of temptation, it is a vice, and these things happen and can happen. But we are committed to keep speaking to these players.
"We will continue to keep our eye on them, and we will try to provide them with all of the help, information and support we can to make sure they can go back to doing what they enjoy doing most.”