Newcastle player Tonali banned from soccer for 10 months in betting probe. He will miss Euro 2024
Newcastle player Tonali banned from soccer for 10 months in betting probe. He will miss Euro 2024
Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali looks on during the Champions League match between AC Milan and Newcastle, at San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sept. 19, 2023. Premier League players Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo were sent back to their clubs from Italy’s training camp on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 after being notified by police of involvement in a betting investigation. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)
FILE - Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali applauds as he leaves the pitch during the Champions League group F soccer match between AC Milan and Newcastle at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali will be available to play Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, despite the Italy international being involved in a betting investigation in his home country. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew, left, and Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace at St James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Saturday Oct. 21, 2023. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
FILE - Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli controls the ball during the ‘Berlusconi trophy’ soccer match between Monza and Juventus in Monza, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, July 31, 2021. A Lawyer for Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli acknowledged Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, that the player is being investigated by prosecutors in Turin for betting online via unauthorized websites. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
Roma’s Nicolo’ Zaniolo looks on during the match between AS Roma and Genoa at the Olimpic Stadium in Rome, Italy, Jan. 12, 2023. Premier League players Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo were sent back to their clubs from Italy’s training camp on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 after being notified by police of involvement in a betting investigation. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali looks on during the Champions League match between AC Milan and Newcastle, at San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sept. 19, 2023. Premier League players Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo were sent back to their clubs from Italy’s training camp on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 after being notified by police of involvement in a betting investigation. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)
Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali looks on during the Champions League match between AC Milan and Newcastle, at San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sept. 19, 2023. Premier League players Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo were sent back to their clubs from Italy’s training camp on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 after being notified by police of involvement in a betting investigation. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)
FILE - Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali applauds as he leaves the pitch during the Champions League group F soccer match between AC Milan and Newcastle at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali will be available to play Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, despite the Italy international being involved in a betting investigation in his home country. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
FILE - Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali applauds as he leaves the pitch during the Champions League group F soccer match between AC Milan and Newcastle at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali will be available to play Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, despite the Italy international being involved in a betting investigation in his home country. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew, left, and Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace at St James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Saturday Oct. 21, 2023. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew, left, and Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace at St James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Saturday Oct. 21, 2023. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
FILE - Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli controls the ball during the ‘Berlusconi trophy’ soccer match between Monza and Juventus in Monza, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, July 31, 2021. A Lawyer for Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli acknowledged Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, that the player is being investigated by prosecutors in Turin for betting online via unauthorized websites. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
FILE - Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli controls the ball during the ‘Berlusconi trophy’ soccer match between Monza and Juventus in Monza, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, July 31, 2021. A Lawyer for Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli acknowledged Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, that the player is being investigated by prosecutors in Turin for betting online via unauthorized websites. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
Roma’s Nicolo’ Zaniolo looks on during the match between AS Roma and Genoa at the Olimpic Stadium in Rome, Italy, Jan. 12, 2023. Premier League players Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo were sent back to their clubs from Italy’s training camp on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 after being notified by police of involvement in a betting investigation. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Roma’s Nicolo’ Zaniolo looks on during the match between AS Roma and Genoa at the Olimpic Stadium in Rome, Italy, Jan. 12, 2023. Premier League players Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo were sent back to their clubs from Italy’s training camp on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 after being notified by police of involvement in a betting investigation. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
ROME (AP) — Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali was banned for 10 months by the Italian soccer federation on Thursday for betting on teams he played for — ruling him out of the rest of the Premier League season as well as competing for Italy at next year’s European Championship.
The 23-year-old Tonali, who became the second player suspended in the widening case, agreed to a plea bargain with the federation that included therapy for a gambling addiction.
Tonali’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, recently acknowledged that his client has a gambling problem and that Tonali told prosecutors he bet on AC Milan and Brescia when he played for those clubs.
The federation acted following an investigation by Turin prosecutors into soccer players using illegal websites to bet on games.
Tonali’s ban means he will not be able to return in time for Euro 2024, which runs from June 14-July 14. Defending champion Italy has not yet qualified.
Tonali’s cooperation with authorities allowed the minimum ban of three years for players betting on soccer matches to be greatly reduced.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina said Tonali was suspended for 18 months but that eight of those months were commutable by attending treatment for gambling addiction and making at least 16 public appearances at centers for young soccer players and associations for recovering addicts.
“We can’t just think about punishing the boys and not helping them recover,” Gravina said. “I think it’s worth a lot more, rather than a month ban, eight months of giving talks about what they went through, in an honest way and with the right behavior.”
Tonali was also fined 20,000 euros ($21,059).
Last week, Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli was banned for seven months after agreeing to a plea bargain with the federation that also stipulates he undergoes therapy for a gambling addiction.
Unlike Fagioli, Tonali admitted he bet on his team’s games when he played for Milan, but always for them to win so there was no suggestion of match-fixing.
Gravina stressed that “these were bets and there was no alteration of the result.”
Tonali joined Newcastle from Milan in the offseason and the Italy international signed a five-year contract with the English club.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said of Tonali last week that the club is “committed to him long-term” despite the gambling case.
Tonali came on as a 65th-minute substitute in Wednesday’s Champions League loss to Borussia Dortmund for what was almost certainly his last appearance of the season, although the ban still has to be extended internationally by European soccer body UEFA.
Tonali and Aston Villa midfielder Nicolò Zaniolo were sent back to their clubs this month after police showed up at Italy’s national team training camp to officially notify them of involvement in the Turin probe.
Zaniolo has said he did not bet on games.
Tonali and Fagioli are not the first top-level soccer players to be banned for violating gambling rules.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney was suspended for eight months by the English Football Association in May after admitting to 232 charges of breaching betting rules.
Former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton was banned for 18 months in 2017 after admitting to placing 1,260 soccer-related bets over a period of more than 10 years. That was later reduced by almost five months on appeal.
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