According to Sky Italy, there has so far been ‘no evidence’ of Sandro Tonali being involved in sporting fraud after the midfielder’s phone was confiscated by police during the ongoing gambling investigation.
Both Tonali and his international teammate Nicolo Zaniolo were accused of betting on football and questioned by police last Thursday, with up to 40 players potentially involved.
The pair admitted that they had been playing both poker and blackjack, claiming that they didn’t know that this was illegal. However, Sky Italia say the current evidence shows nothing to suggest they’ve bet on football. They add that it’s ‘likely’ that no proof is found, suggesting our £55m man may NOT be facing a lengthy ban.
After days of conflicting reports from Italy, this would be welcome news for Newcastle and the player himself, as we faced a nightmare scenario in potentially having our star signing banned. The investigation is not yet complete, but this is an encouraging update from Sky Italy.
With Tonali back on Tyneside and Crystal Palace to come on Saturday, let’s hope this issue is dealt with ASAP and ends with Tonali escaping a ban.
