Sandro Tonali could miss rest of season due to betting on Milan

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has reportedly admitted to betting on soccer matches. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian star made the admission during a recent meeting with Turin-based prosecutors. The report claims that Tonali gambled on AC Milan games while he was with the team.

Tonali previously made an initial loan move to Milan from Brescia in 2020. However, the deal was then permanent a year later. After three seasons with the Italian giants, the midfielder then completed a transfer to Newcastle United earlier this summer. The Magpies paid Milan around $70 million for Tonali.

Despite the massive transfer, the midfielder now may be forced to miss the remainder of the current campaign for Newcastle. Italian officials are cracking down on illegal betting inside the country. Along with Tonali, fellow Italian soccer stars Nicolo Zaniolo and Nicolo Fagioli are also being questioned by prosecutors as well.

Sandro Tonali was only betting on Milan when he did not play

Tonali admitted to gambling on games. He does not face accusations of match-fixing. The aforementioned report claims that the midfielder only bet on Milan matches when he was out of action. Tonali missed 10 total Milan fixtures due to various minor injuries during his time with the club.

Prosecutors would likely want to start a potential playing ban for Tonali at three years. However, the player’s cooperation and previous admission that he has a gambling addiction would almost certainly lower this timeframe. Although it’s difficult to predict how long Tonali could be banned, Newcastle may be braced to realistically miss the midfielder for around a year.

Newcastle asked to remove gambling company signs from stadium

The Magpies currently have sponsorship agreements in place with three online gambling companies. This includes Fun88, BetMGM and Sportsbet.io. Since the news broke about Tonali’s apparent gambling addiction, some have suggested that Newcastle remove these gambling company billboards from St. James’ Park.

The Big Step, part of Gambling with Lives, compared the issue to people battling other vices. The two organizations help those fighting betting addictions. “We wouldn’t force someone with a drug addiction to work somewhere with wall-to-wall advertising of the dealer’s number,” the group told Mail Sport. “Why isn’t it the same for gambling?”

The Premier League previously announced a ban on betting companies serving as sponsors on the fronts of jerseys. However, this rule will not go into effect until 2026.

PHOTO: IMAGO & Nicolo Campo