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Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali at centre of new illegal gambling probe
Felix Keith
3 – 4 minutes
SportFootball
Newcastle United FC
Sandro Tonali, who was banned from playing football for 10 months after breaking betting rules, is now at the centre of a new investigation into separate illegal gambling practises
Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United
Sandro Tonali is being investigated again(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Newcastle star Sandro Tonali is at the centre of new allegations of illegal gambling in Italy, with 12 other players being probed. Tonali was suspended from playing for 10 months after joining Newcastle for £55million from AC Milan after breaching the Italian Football Federation’s betting rules.
The midfielder was later handed a suspended two-month by the Football Association and fined £17,380. The 24-year-old was subsequently put on “a therapeutic plan” to help “recovery from gambling addiction”.
But, according to reports in Italy, he is now at the centre of a fresh betting probe by Milan prosecutors, who have been led to 12 other players after analysing his electronic device and that of Fiorentina player Nicolo Fagioli, who also previously served a betting ban.
The players involved include high-profile current and former Serie A stars.
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The new investigation is said to involve poker games and betting on non-football sporting events on banned gambling platforms. The Milan prosecutor’s office placed five people under house arrest for “illegal gambling activities and money laundering” on Friday morning.
None of those involved were footballers, but £1.3m was seized from a jewellery store in Milan, which prosecutors believe to be the base of the illegal operation.
Mirror Football have contacted Newcastle to request comment on Tonali. He admitted breaching FA betting rules back in May 2024 by putting on bets totalling “well in excess of 100,000 euros” (£85,600). He put on four bets, all of which included Newcastle to win, between September and October 2023.
Sandro Tonali on the ball
Sandro Tonali has been a regular for Newcastle this season(Image: Getty Images)
The regulatory commission noted that the charges had “profound effect” on the midfielder and “is something he does not want to experience again”.
When he returned to playing in August, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe explained how the club had supported him. “Generally it was a feeling of just being worried about the person, genuinely,” he said. “You know the player is facing this moment, that is not easy for any person, so it was really just to help him and protect him.
“Sandro has been through it with all of us. He’s leant on different people in that time, the other coaches, and his team-mates have probably been the most important people who he’s been spending most time with. And the fans too.”
Tonali has four goals and two assists in 37 games across all competitions for Newcastle this season and was part of the side which beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final in March to secure the club’s first domestic silverware since 1955.
