Newcastle and Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali has been banned for 10 months by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for breaching betting rules.
The 23-year-old will not be eligible to play again until August and will be unavailable to feature at Euro 2024 next summer should Italy qualify.
Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July for £55m.
Earlier this month, Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli received a seven-month ban from the FIGC for betting breaches.
The FIGC confirmed that Tonali had breached the rule which prohibits players placing bets on football events organised by FIGC, Uefa and Fifa, and he has also been fined 20,000 euros (£17,380).
It added that the federal prosecutor and Tonali had agreed to an 18-month disqualification, eight months of which will be commuted to “a therapeutic plan” to help “recovery from gambling addiction”.
That will include at least 16 public appearances in Italy, at amateur sports associations and “federal territorial centres”.
FIGC president Gabriele Gravina told Sky Sports Italia: “The plea bargain and extenuating circumstances have been taken into consideration and the players’ collaboration went above and beyond, therefore we must continue to respect the rules we have established for ourselves.”
Juventus’ Fagioli had five months of a one-year ban suspended and was fined 12,500 euros (£10,850). Fagioli also agreed to a therapy plan of at least six months to tackle his gambling problem.
Tonali and fellow midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, who is on loan at Aston Villa from Galatasaray, left Italy’s training camp on 12 October after being told they were involved in an investigation by Italian prosecutors.
During a three-year spell at San Siro, Tonali helped Milan win their first Serie A title for 11 years in 2021-22 and reach last season’s Champions League semi-finals.
He came off the bench during Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Tonali has made 12 appearances for Eddie Howe’s side since becoming the Magpies’ second most expensive signing.
Speaking before Newcastle’s last Premier League fixture, a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace, Howe said Tonali had endured a “difficult couple of weeks”.
“He’s been dealing with a lot and, from what I can see, from a few hours a day, he’s handling himself really well and is dealing with emotions incredibly strongly,” Howe added.
Newcastle, who are sixth in the Premier League, travel to Wolves on Saturday before facing Manchester United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Source: BBC
