Things continue to go from bad to worse in the betting scandal that has engulfed Italian football, with Sandro Tonali having placed wagers on games involving AC Milan.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) looks at the situation involving Fagioli who self-confessed and has already reached a plea agreement, obtaining a sentence (7 months of disqualification plus 5 of rehabilitation), while Nicolo Zaniolo claims that he has never bet on football games.
For Tonali things seem more complicated. The midfielder was interrogated for three hours by the Turin Prosecutor’s Office and, in the last few days (last Sunday and yesterday morning) having already been under interrogation by the FIGC Prosecutor’s Office.
What emerged? Tonali repented and told the whole truth, starting to contribute to the investigations into the betting. The player therefore reported himself to the Sports Justice body, admitting that he had also placed bets on football.
But that’s not all: according to the paper he also confessed to having placed bets on Milan. Unlike Fagioli who, for example, confessed to having gambled on football, but not his own team Juventus.
The matter for Tonali, therefore, becomes more complex and delicate. At the moment, the violation alleged against Tonali relates to article 24 of the Sports Justice Code which punishes players who bet on football with a disqualification of at least three years.
For the betting scandal, Tonali would like to follow the path taken by Fagioli (a plea bargain in the short term, for a shorter sentence) but it is clear that there are many differences in the two cases.
La Gazzetta believes a significantly heavier sanction is coming than the one obtained by the Juventus player, even though both declared that they suffered from addiction.
It will certainly be essential that the version provided by Tonali to Giuseppe Chinè – the Federal Prosecutor – coincides perfectly with the documents of the Turin Prosecutor’s Office which seized the former Milan player’s mobile phone and tablet in Coverciano, where he was with the Italian national team.
If some things don’t match then the scenario would change and, based on the findings, the size of the fine for Tonali could also increase, as well as lengthening the time for plea bargaining.
From a sporting point of view, although there is maximum confidentiality surrounding his testimony, Tonali admitted to having placed bets on football, appearing extremely co-operative with the investigators.
The prosecution is interested in reconstructing, through the player’s network of contacts, the illegal system created by the managers of the platforms, which can be accessed through an invitation, to thus arrive at the names of the organisers.
Some of these sites have already been identified and the blackout procedure has been started in Italy, but the suspicion is that there are others.
Will the football authorities sanction themselves for giving so much publicity to betting? They take the money but are scandalized when somebody else does.
Mamma Mia. They say footballers are dumb but this is pushing it. Gambles are such pathetic addicts
I know gambling is illegal for players, but the main thing he needs is help, not punishment. He’s a young lad who has suddenly been exposed to more money than he could ever imagine; he’s been foolish and was badly-advised, but (as Boris Becker once said) nobody died!
He need help but that’s not remove his fault. He is still guilty and need to be punished.
If, for example, someone got addicted to raping young girls then will you say he needs help more than punishment? After all nobody died in this case, too!
That’s a very misplaced analogy.
While the fundamental ‘addiction’ of both scenarios is essentially coming from the same part of the brain, one is layered with a highly complex level of psychosis, and one is not. One poses an immediate threat to society, and one does not.
In both scenarios, the individuals need help and deserve punishment, but one far, far more than the other.
“Did someone die?” isn’t a rational benchmark for whether something is or isn’t humane.
Even red card carry punishment. You can’t just say: “sorry I can’t control it”.
Oh Sandro, what have you done?!
I feel sorry for the lad but this was just so unbelievably stupid.
His career will suffer a lot for this.
Give him couple years off as punishment so he can get the help that all of a sudden he needs after he got ratted out.
Let’s not forget that, reportedly Tonali was the ring leader here. He introduced both Fagiolli and Zaniolo to that illegal betting site.
As I said before, if he was playing poker no one would care, but betting on football games, especially the ones he played in , is a major NO NO.
Surely EVERY footballer knows they shouldn’t bet on football matches. That’s granted. But if someone (like Tonali here) bets on his OWN TEAM… Well… That’s just asking for trouble and can be only explained by one term: IDIOCY.
As much as I respect Tonali as a player and a person but… Come on, you CANNOT BE THAT STUPID to make bets on your own team. Whether they’re for or against the team doesn’t matter. It’s ILLEGAL and idiotic in every possible way.
If he got the 3 year sentence his career would be over. Worth it? I BET (pun intended).
From zero to hero or hero to zero?
We dodged a bullet there
2 bullets. We seriously considered signing Zaniolo. It would be a disaster if Tonali stayed and Zaniolo joined us.
So sad…. If this is an addiction, then the parents should be blamed for this… We should try as much as possible to bring up our kids properly. Whatever addiction a father or mother might have shouldn’t be shown or known to the children. Let’s raise our kids well. They see and understand everything parents do. Let’s be careful
No. A man is responsible for his actions. At least should be, if he isn’t he is a coward.
@Tkoje, A Man WAS a Boy raised by a man and a woman. Infact, he is still a boy, Sandro
So, who are you blaming for his parents problems, then?
Their parents?
And who is to blame for their problems?
And who is….
Those who advertise betting.
So I guess it leaves us with only Kaka as the real good boy of Milan.
And maldini of cos
Baresi?
This could be a reason why wanted to leave when the offer came. You know if he owed money, maybe the sign on bonus would cover it and he could move on. Plausible.
But I’ve read what Faggioli said, he said Tonali MADE HIM, which I highly doubt. That guys sounds like a coward, in any case. Either someone made him become a gambler, coward, or he made it up to get a smaller penalty, also coward.
Well, if Tonali is punished and ban for 3 years he will be a free agent and Milan can sign him again for free.
Sounds like good business for Milan after selling him for 70m plus bonuses.
I’m even more happy Milan sold him. Smart business from Milan management. I’m sure if Maldini was still around he wouldn’t have sold Tonali.
Exactly, Maldini wouldn’t have sell him and eventually sign zaniolo cos he has been pushing for him. We actually dodge 2 bullets in zaniolo and Tonali. And some fans here are not still happy that the management sacked maldini, due to some emotional attachment.
It’s easy to say this after the fact. It could have been Tonali or any other player that was sold or it could have been an existing player in the squad that’s doing this (jury still out on this as if anyone knew they can be implicated as well. And in that case do we sack Furlani for not knowing too?) . How this comes around back to Maldini I don’t know.
I believe Maldini won’t sell Tonali at all cost but I don’t believe Maldini want to sign Zaniolo. It was widely circulated that Maldini’s target were Kamada, RLC, and Milinkovic-Savic. We will probably still have Messias as RW if Maldini is in charge (not enough money without Tonali sale).
But, what if ACM knew for his gambling, and NU prove that, do we have to return 70M? Than, this transaction can be caracterize as a fraud.
Yes. I think any court anywhere and UEFA would rule against. But I don’t think they knew. Because it wasn’t like Milan offered him to clubs and someone offered, that was the offer form Newcastle and Milan accepted as it was big money.
He is risking his career 3 years with this betting. NU can terminate his contract and sue him to pay big money in court. ACM are lucky avoid signing zaniolo & sell tonali fast before this case
Reccaman, don’t fantasize, which big money? They can sue him but they can’t get “big money”.