There has been another turn in the betting scandal surrounding Italian football at the moment as Sandro Tonali has admitted to gambling on AC Milan games.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) write this morning, Tonali is the subject of an investigation into sports betting on illegal platforms carried out in parallel by the Turin Prosecutor’s Office and the FIGC Prosecutor’s Office.
During the interrogations involving the Public Prosecutor Manuela Pedrotta in Turin and with the Federal Prosecutor Giuseppe Chinè, which took place in a secret location, Tonali admitted to having placed bets on football and on Milan.
Tonali was co-operative with the investigators and is aiming for a plea bargain (as was the case for another of the players involved, Nicolò Fagioli of Juventus) to try get a substantially reduced sentence.
However, betting on the team that he was part of at the time makes his situation more complex and is likely to lead to a harsher punishment, including a long ban from football.
Is there any risk for Milan in this betting scandal that has engulfed Tonali? The paper points out how betting on one’s own team is particularly risky because it could constitute a crime of sporting offence.
Regulated by article 30 of the rather clear Code of Sports Justice, which speaks of ‘carrying out, by any means, acts aimed at altering the progress or result of a match or competition’.
From what emerges, this does not apply to Tonali. He placed bets on Milan winning or on other results with him not a part of the game which means his bets did not affect his performance on the pitch in any way.
The violation alleged against Tonali, specifically, therefore remains within the scope of article 24 of the Sports Justice Code, which punishes players who bet on football. In any case, if it were ascertained that anyone at Milan was aware of Tonali’s problem, the crime of ‘failure to report’ would be committed.
According to the regulation, this ‘failure to report’ would be punished with a disqualification of the individual subject for up to six months and with a fine of no less than €15,000. There would not be any repercussions on the club.
The club would only risk sanctions if the involvement of senior managers in the situation was proven.
Who would tell that management won full House by selling Tonali.
Imagine keep him and now losing for year and a half without possibility of new arrivals because of the money issue.
Selling Tonali was like winning poker hand.
Imagine if we kept him and also signed Zaniolo. It would be ‘season is over’ for us.
No wonder, if the American management had agents spying, if the players were into smth sneaky.
Betting on Milan to win. A true fan indeed. Hope we bring him back someday.
Such a true fan. Illegally betting on his own team, not knowing that he was going to get transferred away and thus risking a massive suspension while our player. Probably telling a teammate or two, thus risking them and possibly the club as it would open up the potential for collusion/max fixing with regard to the influencing of the sporting result. A true fan indeed! Bring him back immediately!
If there is any evidence that people at the club knew about this, then there will be bigger repercussions beyond this as you know Newcastle’s very expensive legal team will have a field day with it…
Yep. This is the key. Who knew. It seems unlikely that the staff knew, but it would be crazy (and extremely lucky) if none of his fellow players knew. He had to have a confidant or two. If so, those players now risk bans for failure to report. It also raises the question of match fixing again. Ultimately, if another player is aware of his betting, what to ultimately prevent him from influencing the match and then getting some money from Tonali? So now we’re going to be on tenterhooks, waiting to find out who, how and when, and then the punishment for that player and the club.
Do you really think that nobody in club knew for his gambling? Young, talented, next ACM legend, was sold in a just few days, just like that?
According to previous report, the transfer negotiation wasn’t short but went unnoticed for few weeks.
Maybe he needed the extra salary from newcastle for his betting addiction lol
I just hope milan won’t get in trouble for this.
Such a shame for such a young lad.
Man this is really sad news and I’m so disappointed in him. I’d hate to think he’d bet against his own team much less knowing you shouldn’t even bet at all.
I almost got caught up in this sort of behaviour as a regular and it’s not a great feeling in the long run. Sometimes when you place bets you tend to cheer on the bet rather than the sport (if that make sense to any of you) and you don’t get to really enjoy the game (not anything big or that could jeoiny family but I can see how it can affect others who are less strong willed). I wonder it would be even worse for a player who can influence outcomes (I understand that he didn’t bet on his own game but come on) or are so close to the action. Thoroughly disappointed is an understatement
ACM also can get sanction if FIGC can prove that senior manager or higher at ACM involve with tonali . Lets hope no one here in ACM involve anymore beside that tonali. With this betting case tonali , it seems ACM are lucky sell him over price to NU
Yep that’s true. I shudder to think if someone in management knew about this, whoever it is. It’s gonna really mess up the good work the club as a whole has done so far. Smh 🤦♂️
I do have a bad feeling though unfortunately😔 but let’s hope we’re clean
I dont know the new management just lucky or already know about tonali betting case ?Selling tonali over price to NU and blocked zaniolo purchase are brilliant move by new management, imagine losing 70m euro wasted if tonali banned while in ACM squad . Lets hope Maldini & Massara not knowing about this tonali betting in the past while working at ACM , if they know then ACM will get sanction from FIGC
If the new management knew then we as a club would be in trouble – so let’s hope they didn’t know and he was sold because we received a good offer. Let’s not create fantasy and false scenarios. Stupid on his part to bet on his own team even if it’s for us to win. Too risky. But addiction is additiction and the problem is hopefully only Newcastle’s to worry about not ours….hopefully🙏
He seems more intelligent to me than to get involved in this kind of stuff. Nothing wrong with betting,but one has to be aware of rules. If Sandro gets banned Newcastle got taken for a fool,and that I love.
“If Sandro gets banned Newcastle got taken for a fool,and that I love.”
3 year ban from football and NU cancels the contract? Then 3 years later he could join his boyhood club again. For free. Eh… Maybe not.
I get the feeling that they have only just brushed the surface.
If another Milan player gets unearthed (and supposedly lots more names to be released) then the picture won’t look good
What an idiot. I thought his sale was a great move before all this, now it’s even better. Imagine had we not sold him and brought in three good midfielders and then this happens.
It is not betting against his own team, is it? Betting against his own team can be considered as match-fixing. Betting for his own team can be considered as misguided extra motivation.
Nope. He only bet FOR Milan and while he couldn’t play. But still. Not good. Not good at all.
They say it only trigger sporting offence if he played on games he bet not to win, so it seems he won’t receive full 3 years ban.