Sandro Tonali’s season is officially over after FIFA ratified the 10-month ban given to him by the Italian Football Federation.
The 23-year-old Italian midfielder admitted to prosecutors that he had placed bets on football matches during their investigation into unregulated illegal betting platforms. He was questioned by the police at Coverciano earlier this month and the extent of his gambling addiction was quickly revealed.
Tonali’s plea deal with the FIGC involves a 10-month suspension from football, a further eight months of rehabilitative work and 16 public appearances related to the ban, educating youngsters on the issue.
The FIGC’s ban initially only applied to Italy and they sent a request to FIFA asking for a worldwide ban to take effect, which was officially confirmed today via The Athletic.
Tonali will now be sidelined until August of next year, ending his season with Newcastle United and confirming his absence from Euro 2024 should Italy qualify.
In the meantime, Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli has started his seven-month ban and Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo reiterated that he hadn’t placed bets on football when speaking to prosecutors in Turin today.