Current:Home > Contact-usNewcastle player Tonali banned from soccer for 10 months in betting probe. He will miss Euro 2024-LoTradeCoin
Newcastle player Tonali banned from soccer for 10 months in betting probe. He will miss Euro 2024
View Date:2024-12-23 22:39:55
ROME (AP) — Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali was banned for 10 months by the Italian soccer federation on Thursday for betting on teams he played for — ruling him out of the rest of the Premier League season as well as competing for Italy at next year’s European Championship.
The 23-year-old Tonali, who became the second player suspended in the widening case, agreed to a plea bargain with the federation that included therapy for a gambling addiction.
Tonali’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, recently acknowledged that his client has a gambling problem and that Tonali told prosecutors he bet on AC Milan and Brescia when he played for those clubs.
The federation acted following an investigation by Turin prosecutors into soccer players using illegal websites to bet on games.
Tonali’s ban means he will not be able to return in time for Euro 2024, which runs from June 14-July 14. Defending champion Italy has not yet qualified.
Tonali’s cooperation with authorities allowed the minimum ban of three years for players betting on soccer matches to be greatly reduced.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina said Tonali was suspended for 18 months but that eight of those months were commutable by attending treatment for gambling addiction and making at least 16 public appearances at centers for young soccer players and associations for recovering addicts.
“We can’t just think about punishing the boys and not helping them recover,” Gravina said. “I think it’s worth a lot more, rather than a month ban, eight months of giving talks about what they went through, in an honest way and with the right behavior.”
Tonali was also fined 20,000 euros ($21,059).
Last week, Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli was banned for seven months after agreeing to a plea bargain with the federation that also stipulates he undergoes therapy for a gambling addiction.
Unlike Fagioli, Tonali admitted he bet on his team’s games when he played for Milan, but always for them to win so there was no suggestion of match-fixing.
Gravina stressed that “these were bets and there was no alteration of the result.”
Tonali joined Newcastle from Milan in the offseason and the Italy international signed a five-year contract with the English club.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said of Tonali last week that the club is “committed to him long-term” despite the gambling case.
Tonali came on as a 65th-minute substitute in Wednesday’s Champions League loss to Borussia Dortmund for what was almost certainly his last appearance of the season, although the ban still has to be extended internationally by European soccer body UEFA.
Tonali and Aston Villa midfielder Nicolò Zaniolo were sent back to their clubs this month after police showed up at Italy’s national team training camp to officially notify them of involvement in the Turin probe.
Zaniolo has said he did not bet on games.
Tonali and Fagioli are not the first top-level soccer players to be banned for violating gambling rules.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney was suspended for eight months by the English Football Association in May after admitting to 232 charges of breaching betting rules.
Former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton was banned for 18 months in 2017 after admitting to placing 1,260 soccer-related bets over a period of more than 10 years. That was later reduced by almost five months on appeal.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Michelle Obama Is Diving Back into the Dating World—But It’s Not What You Think
- Commanders QB Jayden Daniels scores first career NFL touchdown on run
- NASCAR Atlanta live updates: How to watch Sunday's Cup Series playoff race
- ‘The Bear’ and ‘Shogun’ could start claiming trophies early at Creative Arts Emmy Awards
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- AEW All Out 2024 live updates, results, match card, grades and more
- Michigan groom accused of running over groomsman, killing him, bride arrested, too
- Score 50% off Old Navy Jeans All Weekend -- Shop Chic Denim Styles Starting at $17
- AIT Community Introduce
- 2-year-old boy fatally stabbed by older brother in Chicago-area home, police say
Ranking
- The Daily Money: All about 'Doge.'
- Coney Island’s iconic Cyclone roller coaster reopens 2 weeks after mid-ride malfunction
- Authorities search for a man who might be linked to the Kentucky highway shootings that wounded five
- How many teams make the NFL playoffs? Postseason format for 2024 season
- California man allegedly shot couple and set their bodies, Teslas on fire in desert
- Dak Prescott leads Cowboys to 33-17 romp over Browns in opener after getting new 4-year contract
- Notre Dame upset by NIU: Instant reactions to historic Northern Illinois win
- 10 unwritten rules of youth sports: Parents can prevent fights with this 24-hour rule
Recommendation
-
Princess Kate makes rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo
-
When is US Open women's final? How to watch Jessica Pegula vs Aryna Sabalenka
-
Amy Adams 'freaked out' her dog co-stars in 'Nightbitch' by acting too odd
-
MLB trade deadline revisited: Dodgers pulled off heist to get new bullpen ace
-
FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
-
Week 1 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
-
Empty Starliner on its way home: Troubled Boeing craft undocks from space station
-
Tom Brady's NFL broadcasting career is finally starting. What should fans expect?