Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali was eventually sentenced to heavy punishment for sports gambling and was ruled out for the 2023/24 season.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on the federation’s official website on the 26th (Korean time), “In reaching an agreement with Sandro Tonali, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office sentenced him to 18 months of disqualification and reduced his sentence to 8 months with an alternative prescription.” did.
Tonali, an Italian midfielder born in 2000, completed his qualifications in Serie A, one of the world’s best professional soccer stages, at a young age. Despite his young age, he showed a mature performance that earned him the nickname ‘the next Andrea Pirlo’ when he played for Brescia Calcio.
Even after transferring to AC Milan, Tonali stood out for his skills in kicking, dribbling, and controlling the tempo of the game, and immediately became the core of the midfield, contributing to the team’s Serie A win in the 2021/22 season along with Ismael Bennacer and Frank Kessie.
Tonali’s performance attracted the attention of many big clubs, and Newcastle, which ranked fourth after being acquired by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and succeeded in advancing to the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, succeeded in embracing Tonali. Newcastle strengthened its midfield by giving Milan a huge sum of 52 million pounds (about 89 billion won) to sign Tonali.
Newcastle hoped to further raise the club’s power and status through the signing of Tonali, but the joy was short-lived. Tonali was hit with bombshell negative news when it was revealed that he had caused a gambling scandal at his former team.
Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa) and Tonali were hastily excluded from the Italian national team on the 13th. The reason was suspicion of illegal sports gambling. Tonali also admitted on the 19th that when he was playing for Milan, he enjoyed gambling by betting money on the win or loss of his own team, Milan, rather than other teams. Accordingly, in addition to illegal betting, there are also suspicions of match-fixing.
According to FIGC regulations, even if you enjoy legal sports betting, current soccer players cannot participate. Moreover, it is even more unacceptable to bet on your own team. This is because there may be room for match-fixing. Players involved in illegal gambling face a ban of up to five years.
Ivan Toney (Brentford), who was considered a top striker in the Premier League, was also found to have placed sports bets 232 times in the past and was banned from all soccer-related activities for eight months by the English Football Association (FA) in May. .
In the end, after the investigation, Tonali admitted to all that he had gambled on sports, and although he could not avoid severe punishment for violating the regulations, he received a somewhat less severe punishment by cooperating with the investigation.
In response, FIGC said, “Tonali violated Article 24 of the Sports Justice Regulations (CGS) by betting on soccer matches organized by UEFA, FIFA, and FIGC.” “An agreement was reached with Nali, after which he would be suspended for 18 months, of which eight months would be reduced to alternative prescriptions, and a fine of 20,000 euros (approximately 29 million won) was added,” he explained.
“In terms of alternative prescriptions, Tonali must participate in a treatment plan lasting at least eight months,” he said, adding, “Over the eight months, he must hold at least 16 public meetings with the Italian Amateur Sports Association and gambling addiction recovery centers.”
In other words, although the punishment is 18 months, it was agreed that the period of inactivity as a soccer player would be 10 months, and the remaining 8 months would be spent treating gambling addiction. Accordingly, Tonali was unable to participate in games until the end of August 2024, effectively ruling him out for the 2023/24 season. He will also not be able to participate in Euro 2024, which will be held in Germany next June.온라인카지노
Meanwhile, Newcastle sighed as Tonali was finally punished. The player who was brought in for a huge sum of 52 million pounds (about 89 billion won) during the summer transfer window last July can no longer be used after just three months. Also, since he has not been able to play in an official game for 10 months, there is a question mark as to whether he will be able to show the performance he had before his suspension after returning.
Some have speculated that Newcastle could sue Tonali’s former team, Milan. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, Newcastle claimed that they may file a lawsuit worth tens of billions of won, considering the possibility that Milan was silent despite knowing in advance about Tonali’s sports gambling.