Sandro Tonali admits to betting charges; could face 1-year suspension

The Italian midfielder can face a one-year suspension from football

Sandro Tonali has confirmed, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, that he bet on AC Milan games while he was under agreement with the Rossoneri but was ineligible to play, therefore it is almost inevitable that he will receive a longer suspension than Nicol Fagioli.

Sandro Tonali met with his attorney in Turin on Tuesday in the afternoon, and as reported by Gazzetta, the FIGC prosecutor Giuseppe Chiné has questioned him twice since last week.

Sandro Tonali acknowledged betting on Milan matches while a Rossoneri player, but he only did so when he was unable to play, according to a story in Wednesday's print edition of Gazzetta (page 12).

If this is verified, the 23-year-old could not be accused of match-fixing and would not have violated Article 30 of the Code of Sports Ethics because he did not try to have an impact on an event or an event by betting on Milan games when he was ineligible to participate.

Like his fellow countryman Fagioli, Tonali is cooperating fully with investigators and has sought treatment for his gambling problem, as his agent Beppe Riso acknowledged on Tuesday.

To lower his ban, Tonali might accomplish this by negotiating a plea deal with the FIGC Prosecutor, but there are variations from the Fagioli case. The Juventus midfielder first bet on matches involving football, but not on ones played by his team.

The initial punishment for the FIGC Prosecutor, stated Gazzetta, is to impose a ban longer than three years given that Tonali bet on Milan matches while under agreement with the Rossoneri.

The Prosecutor may reduce the ban's duration by half due to Tonali's cooperation and his admission that he wishes to get help for his gambling addiction if the player's allegations line up with what investigators discovered in his devices, which were seized at Coverciano last week.

Tonali's ban is currently difficult to anticipate, but considering what happened, the Newcastle midfielder may receive a one-year suspension plus five months of alternative therapy and appearances in public, according to Gazzetta.