Tonali left Italian team training alongside Aston Villa midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, after he was also accused of illegally gambling on football. To add further fuel to the fire, Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli was also investigated over betting offences and was recently banned for 7 months from playing football, whilst also being fined 12,500 euros.
It seems that Tonali and Zaniolo will have similar fates to Fagioli. As the premier league have already shown that they don’t take gambling lightly which was shown with the 8 month ban that Ivan Toney was given in May 2023.
Tonali’s start to life at Newcastle United after his £55 million move from AC Milan was seeming to have an upwards trajectory, having had a rocky start but gradually attaining better results such as the euphoric 4-1 win over PSG on the 4th October. But it looks as though his time will be halted for a significant amount of time with the Magpies, as the Guardian have reported that he will be banned from football for at least a year.
The aspiring midfielder admitted to betting on AC Milan to win back when he played for the club, which is the offence that he is currently being investigated for. Similarly to Ivan Toney’s case, these bets were not against Tonali’s team instead they were bets on his team to do well. Which begs the question, should footballers be prosecuted for gambling if they aren’t trying to negatively affect the outcome of their team’s result?
Fans have pointed out that it seems hypocritical of the FA and other football governing bodies to endorse betting with sponsors and adverts, but also condemn any players who bet on football. Toney and Tonali have also both claimed to have gambling addictions which raises another debate on whether these players should be getting punished or receiving help with addiction issues.
