Newcastle United have decided to bench Sandro Tonali in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund for what is presumably his final game of the season before starting a 10-month ban.
This ban will rule Tonali out of Italy’s squad for the EURO 2024 tournament, but he should be available for the start of the next Premier League campaign.
The Magpies are in the same Champions League group as his former club Milan, which is where he was playing when he placed bets using illegal gambling sites.
The Italy international was on the bench at the weekend in the Premier League and came on as a substitute, where the Newcastle fans showed a great deal of love and support.
Tonali has confessed to suffering from a gambling addiction and is undergoing treatment with a therapist.
This, and his full deposition to the prosecutor in Turin, allowed him to lower the length of the ban to a reported 10 months plus another six or eight months commuted into public appearances encouraging others not to fall into the trap of gambling.
It is against the rules for professional football players to place any bets, including on different sports or events.
The punishment is more severe if the bets were placed on their own team, which appears to be the case for Tonali.
However, as he only ever bet on Milan to win, he cannot be also investigated for match-fixing.
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| 35' |  |
Marius Wolf | ||
| 45' |  |
Felix Nmecha (Assist: Nico Schlotterbeck) |
| Bruno Guimarães | |
80' |
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