Newcastle's Sandro Tonali handed 10-month ban for betting offences

Newcastle's midfielder Sandro Tonali faces a 10-month ban for his admission of betting on matches he participated in during his tenure at AC Milan.

Tonali confessed to the offense of gambling on games in which he was a player, ultimately securing a 10-month suspension through negotiations with Italian authorities. Without his cooperation, the Italian national player would have confronted a three-year ban.

Tonali is not the sole Italian player entangled in the ongoing betting scandal. Both Aston Villa's Nicolo Zaniolo and Juventus' Nicolo Fagioli also find themselves implicated in this controversy. The latter has already been subjected to a seven-month ban.

Tonali appeared to anticipate the impending consequences, as he undertook a lap of honor after Newcastle's 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend.

Now, he has been formally informed of his penalty, which entails missing the remainder of the Premier League season and, should Italy qualify, Euro 2024.

Gabriele Gravina, the President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), announced, "The FIGC Prosecutor and Tonali have reached an agreement, which I have already approved. The agreement encompasses a 10-match suspension, coupled with eight months of rehabilitation activities and a minimum of 16 appearances.

"Newcastle had invested £55 million ($66 million) to acquire Tonali from AC Milan during the summer transfer window. Unfortunately, they were only able to utilize him in 10 matches before he was excluded from Eddie Howe's plans.