There have been fresh reports coming out of Italy over banned gambling amongst elite footballers, which rang alarm bells for many Newcastle fans.

After midfield maestro Sandro Tonali was banned by the Italian FA for 10 months back in October 2023 over his involvement in the bettng scandal, there had been slight fears that we could be embroiled once more in a fresh probe.

Thankfully, however, it doesn’t look to be the case, and Tonali looks to be clear of any wrongdoing this time around…

A fresh scandal in Serie A

The Italian top flight is set to be rocked by a fresh investigation into illegal poker games and sports betting, involving a number of current and former stars.

Prosecutors in Italy are said to be looking into 12 players over their involvement, which included recruiting other players and gamblers into their circles, which has led to five people being arrested so far.

Big names involved include Angel Di Maria, who left Italy back in 2023, former Leeds midfielder Weston McKennie, and former PSG midfielder Leandro Paredes, the latter two now plying their trade at Juventus and Roma respectively.

No trouble for Tonali

As reported by The Chronicle, club executives are said to have no concerns regarding the stories emerging from Italy.

Our man’s only involvement in these fresh revelations is his phone being used by investigators as part of their searches, with Newcastle not concerned in the slightest.

Having already served such a monumental ban for his involvement, which also encouraged Tonali to seek professional help, it would have come as a major surprise if Tonali actually was involved.

Regardless of any involvement, it’s crucial that we stand by the 24-year-old as news circulates that he is allegedly involved, which is less than ideal mere days away before some of our biggest games of the season.

A pair of interesting names involved…

Two of the players reportedly being investigated will no doubt ring familiar, and perhaps draw the ire of our fans.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo and Tonali’s national teammate Nicolo Fagioli have both been named once again in the media for their alleged involvement.

Both players were notably given a much lesser punishment by the Italian FA compared to Tonali, which if some reports are to be believed, went down poorly with members of the Italian National Team, as it ruled Tonali out their EURO 2024 campaign.

Since his return, Tonali has arguably been the best player for his country at both a club and international level, with his career with us only going in an upwards trajectory.