Newcastle United has released an official statement regarding Sandro Tonali who is currently involved in an illegal gambling scandal. Newcastle United has not denied that Sandro Tonali is being investigated by the Italian Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) regarding involvement in illegal gambling practices.
“Newcastle can confirm Sandro Tonali is being investigated by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and the FIGC in relation to illegal gambling activities,” Newcastle said in a statement. “Sandro is fully involved in the investigation and will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities,” continued Newcastle’s statement.
Newcastle United provides moral support to Sandro Tonali and his family while undergoing the investigation process. “He (Sandro Tonali) and his family will continue to receive full support from the club. Due to the ongoing process, Sandro Tonali and Newcastle are unable to provide further comment at this time,” continued Newcastle.
The 23 year old midfielder then underwent direct interrogation with Prosecutor Giuseppe Chine. The interrogation process between Giuseppe Chine and Tonali lasted three hours. On that occasion, Tonali admitted his actions in gambling activities. Because of this investigation, Tonali was forced to leave the Italian national team training camp in Coverciano, Florence, some time ago. Moreover, the gambling case that befell Sandro Tonali resulted in him being expelled from the Italian national team’s training camp for the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Sandro Tonali is said to have bet on matches at his old club, AC Milan. Based on a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tonali is threatened with a penalty of approximately one year of playing if he is proven to have risked his money on a football match.
His action violated article 24 of the Sports Ethics Code which states that footballers are prohibited from being involved in football gambling. Violations of these points actually result in a ban on playing for around three years. However, Italian media said Tonali’s cooperative attitude during the investigation could result in the duration of his sentence being shortened. Meanwhile, Juventus’ young talent, Nicolo Fagioli, who was also involved in an illegal gambling scandal, has been sentenced to a seven-month suspension.
