10 month reduced ban for Sandro Tonali

A verdict has been reached on the immediate future of Italian footballer, Sandro Tonali who has been handed a no less than 10-month penalty ban after having been found guilty of breaking betting rules.  According to a statement from the Italian Football Association (FIGC), the Newcastle United man has been handed a disqualification for an initial 18 months. The ban as it stands is only effective within the player’s home nation of Italy, but it is expected without question to extend globally through association football’s International federation, FIFA. There is hope for a reduction in penalty, however, as Tonali has claimed to be a gambling addict and thus the ban’s duration may be only 10 months should he complete an eight-month rehabilitation plan.  This punishment has been dealt with according to an agreement the Italian has made with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office which also included a €20,000 penalty fine.

Tonali’s Offences

The £55 million “regista” has been found in breach of Article 24 of the FIGC’s Code of Spots Justice.  This regulation forbids professional footballers bets on any top-flight football organised by either the FIGC themselves along with any UEFA of FIFA sanctioned competitions.  Tonali is the second of three Italian Internationals that have been implemented and then subsequently sentenced in what is now a growing sports betting scandal. Juventus’ Nicolò Fagioli has already been found guilty of a similar offence receiving a ban earlier this month. Aston Villas Nicolo Zaniolo awaits a verdict regarding his involvement in the scandal. Notably, a standard ban as stipulated by Article 24, states that a three-year ban should usually be expected for this kind of offence. The FIGC’s president, Gabriele Gravina explained how this was possible in a statement:

“The rules call for a certain number of years of suspension, but the plea bargain and extenuating circumstances have been taken into consideration and the players’ collaboration went above and beyond, therefore we must continue to respect the rules we have established for ourselves.”

Collaboration and compliance

According to reports, Tonali’s agent claimed his client had a gambling addiction and fully cooperated fully with the investigation. Tonali admitted to placing bets on matches, including some in which he was actually involved with when he was an AC Milan player.

The Big Step

The UK campaign group, The Big Step, has claimed that the surfacing of Tonali’s addiction is further evidence that football should distance itself from gambling. This led to the reiteration of calls for an end to all gambling advertising and sponsorship in English football, although both have been banned in Italy since 2019. A spokesperson from the campaign made this statement on the matter:

“Footballers are human and if they are suffering from addiction they deserve empathy and support, not lengthy bans.”

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