Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is set to return to the club this evening after being caught up in an Italian betting scandal.
That’s according to Corriere della Sera, who cover the developing incident today after police turned up at Italy’s training camp yesterday.
Tonali was one of several players to have his phone and tablets seized by police as they investigate potential illegal sports betting and the involvement of Italian players.
The Newcastle man is one of those involved and, after leaving the Italian group, spent the night in Florence in a state of ‘disbelief’ at finding himself in the centre of the scandal.
Corriere state he is currently on his way to Milan, or was at some point today anyway, where he was meeting with his ‘attorneys’ Giuseppe Riso and Marianna Mecacci to ‘study a defence strategy’.
It seems a plan is being drawn up to defend the midfielder, who, if found guilty, could be facing a three year ban, before he then returns to Newcastle this evening.
Gazzetta go into more detail on the potential sanctions facing the player if he is found guilty explaining the Magpies could further punish him if he is banned for three years.
According to them, the club could ask for the player’s contract to be terminated, or less seriously ask for his salary to be suspended for the length of his ban.
The newspaper believes it is unlikely they, or any of the other clubs involved will do anything so final, particularly Newcastle after they spent so big to get Tonali from AC Milan this summer.
It’s a developing situation, though, and one with potentially serious consequences if prosecutors in Italy find Tonali and his teammates guilty.
