Newcastle star Sandro Tonali has been banned from football for 10 months for illegal betting, the Italian FA has announced.
The Italian midfielder will be ruled out for the rest of the season after reaching a plea bargain following negotiations with his lawyers, prosecutors, and the Italian football federation this week to finalise details of the ban.
Italian FA chief Gabriele Gravina confirmed an agreement had been reached for a 10-month ban, including eight months of therapy, and praised Tonali’s collaboration in the process.
‘An agreement has already been reached between the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and Sandro Tonali, which occurred before the referral, therefore it must be endorsed by the undersigned, which I have already done,’ Gravina told reporters.
‘A plea bargain is envisaged for 18 months of which 8 months is activity recovery, some concerns therapeutic activity and at least 16 face-to-face meetings as testimony.
‘A plea bargain is foreseen, mitigating circumstances are foreseen, the boys collaborated beyond belief, so we continue to respect the rules we have set for ourselves.’
Tonali’s suspension is set to include eight months of therapy and his participation in anti-gambling initiatives.
The midfielder is expected to be free to train with Newcastle during his suspension, which is set to run until late August of next year.
He will miss Euro 2024 and the early weeks of the Premier League season.
Tonali’s suspension had not arrived before Newcastle’s Champions League tie against Dortmund on Wednesday, which allowed the midfielder to be involved.
It is thought UEFA did not want Tonali to feature but were powerless without confirmation of the ban from Italy.
The Magpies have pledged their support to the Italian international and his family, with manager Eddie Howe last week vowing that the club will throw their arms around him.
‘Sandro is a top, top person and a top character,’ Eddie Howe said. ‘I’ve got no doubts about him as a person at all. But like anybody, you don’t know everything about every person. It’s impossible to.
‘Like all human beings, they can have vulnerabilities and weaknesses and things that happen in our lives that are difficult.’
