Newcastle star Sandro Tonali has been banned from football for 10 months for illegal betting, the Italian FA has announced.
The midfielder will be ruled out for the rest of the season after reaching a plea bargain, with his lawyers having negotiated with prosecutors and the Italian football federation this week to finalise details of the ban.
Italian FA chief Gabriele Gravina confirmed an agreement had been reached for a 10-month ban, including eight months of therapy, and praised Tonali’s collaboration in the process.
‘An agreement has already been reached between the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and Sandro Tonali, which occurred before the referral, therefore it must be endorsed by the undersigned, which I have already done,’ Gravina told reporters.
‘A plea bargain is envisaged for 18 months of which 8 months is activity recovery, some concerns therapeutic activity and at least 16 face-to-face meetings as testimony.
‘A plea bargain is foreseen, mitigating circumstances are foreseen, the boys collaborated beyond belief, so we continue to respect the rules we have set for ourselves.’
Tonali was interviewed last week at the Turin prosecutor’s office, where he reportedly spoke to investigators for around two and a half hours.
Initial reports suggested Tonali was at risk of a 12-month ban after claims he had bet on AC Milan matches while on their books, before his £52million summer move to Newcastle.
However, his admission of guilt and willingness to seek treatment for what his agent calls a ‘gambling addiction’ is believed to have helped him reduce the ban. It is also said he did not bet on Milan to lose matches.
Tonali’s suspension is set to include eight months of therapy and his participation in anti-gambling initiatives.
The midfielder is expected to be free to train with Newcastle during his suspension, which is set to run until late August of next year.
He will miss Euro 2024 and the early weeks of the Premier League season.
Tonali’s suspension had not arrived before Newcastle’s Champions League tie against Dortmund on Wednesday, which allowed the midfielder to be involved.
It is thought UEFA did not want Tonali to feature but were powerless without confirmation of the ban from Italy.
Content by: DOMINIC HOGAN
