Sandro Tonali named in illegal gambling investigation

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Sandro Tonali was banned for 10 months in October 2023 for betting on football matches, but Newcastle do not expect the midfielder to face further sporting sanctions - Getty Images/Alex Dodd

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has been named in an illegal gambling investigation in Italy.

Tonali was banned for 10 months in October 2023 for betting on football matches, including those involving his old team AC Milan while he was still playing for them.

Now he and fellow Italy international Nicolo Fagioli, who plays for Fiorentina, are among a dozen current or former Serie A players suspected of using illicit betting platforms. However, this investigation does not involve betting on football.

Telegraph Sport understands that Newcastle are confident this investigation is not linked to the original case that cost Tonali the chance of playing in Italy’s Euro title defence in Germany last year and that they do not expect the midfielder to face further sporting sanctions.

Fagioli has admitted to having a gambling addiction and he was hit with a seven-month ban not long before Tonali’s suspension, having reportedly run up more than three million euros (£2.5 million) in debts.

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Juventus’ USA international Weston McKennie is among those being investigated for betting on non-football sporting events - Luca Bruno/AP

Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI have also named Roma midfielder Leandro Paredes and Angel Di Maria, who played the 2022-23 season with Fagioli at Juventus, as suspects in an investigation by prosecutors in Milan.

Current Juventus players Weston McKennie and Mattia Perin and Italy internationals Raoul Bellanova and Samuele Ricci are also among those being investigated for poker games and betting on sporting events – but not on football matches – on banned gambling platforms.

In a statement released on Friday morning, the Milan prosecutor’s office announced that it had placed under house arrest “for illegal gambling activities and money laundering” five people who organised and managed the clandestine platforms from a jewellery store in the city. In addition, 1.5 million euros was seized.

The footballers are not among those arrested and would only face a small punishment if found guilty, most likely a fine, from the criminal case. They could be punished by the football authorities, according to the news agencies, although no disciplinary proceedings have yet been announced.

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