Sandro Tonali has reportedly agreed to a 10-month suspension from football for his part in the illegal betting scandal in his native Italy.
Fabrizio Romano has just reported that the 10-month ban has been finalised. Additionally, as part of Tonali's punishment, he must participate in rehabilitation.
The suspension is the sanction from the Italian Football Federation, though reports in Italy suggest that Newcastle are also set to dish out their own punishment.
Italian outlet Calciomercato has reported that Newcastle will not pay Tonali during his ban. This report does seem at odds with the noises coming out of NUFC, though. Indeed, Eddie Howe has consistently said the club will support Tonali and his family through this turbulent time.
Juventus star Nicolo Fagioli was handed a seven-month ban last week and is set to continue receiving his salary while being able to train with the first team.
Calciomercato's story also suggests Newcastle are weighing up a lawsuit against AC Milan, as they feel they must have been aware of the impending charges when negotiating the Tonali's summer transfer.
It's difficult to see the club being able to do anything without hard evidence, however.
Still, it wouldn't surprise us at all if they were doing some digging to uncover a paper trail between Tonali, his agent, and his former club.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
12 | 16 | 31 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
12 | 5 | 23 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
5 |
Brighton
|
12 | 5 | 22 |
6 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
12 | 14 | 19 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
12 | 2 | 19 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
9 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
10 |
Newcastle United
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
12 | -4 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
12 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
12 | -15 | 4 |