Sandro Tonali admitted to prosecutors that he placed bets on AC Milan matches while at the club, according to a report.
The Newcastle star was questioned by the Turin prosecutor’s office for almost three hours and, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he informed them that he had placed bets on football matches, including matches involving Milan.
This admission complicates the situation. The player insists he did not bet on Milan matches when he was playing and, if this claim is accepted, Tonali will not be accused of match-fixing as he would not have influenced a match .
However, the fact that he bet on his own team could result in a ban of more than three years from the prosecutor of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
Tonali also said he suffered from a gambling addiction, meaning part of his sentence could be allocated to mandatory therapy sessions.
The Italy international is hoping to receive a punishment similar to that of Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, who was sentenced to a seven-month suspension, a fine and therapy.
The FIGC Prosecutor’s Office is not the only one interested in Tonali’s betting, as a criminal investigation is also underway regarding his activities on the illegal betting platform.
The 23-year-old faces a significant fine for using unauthorized betting sites. Investigators will be able to compare what he said in his statement with what they found on his cell phone and tablet, which were confiscated.
Besides Tonali and Fagioli, Aston Villa player Nicolo Zaniolo was also implicated in the betting scandal and faces similar punishment.
As a reminder, the Italian midfielder was very close to committing to Paris last summer. PSG can congratulate itself on having opted for other targets, while the transalpine player could now be sidelined for several years.
