midfielder has been banned for 10 months for breaches of betting regulations in .
The 23-year-old, who was signed by Newcastle in a £55 million deal from AC Milan in July, , including Milan games, during a meeting with Italian authorities last week.
The president of the football federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, confirmed on Thursday that Tonali will be banned for 10 months and will undergo a rehab programme for an additional eight months.
Tonali will now miss the remainder of Newcastle’s season, as well as the European Championship next summer if Italy qualify. He will be cleared to return to football in August 2024.
‘The FIGC Prosecutor and Tonali have reached an agreement which I have already approved,’ Gravina said.
‘The agreement consists of a 10-month ban plus eight months of rehab activities and at least 16 public appearances.’
Tonali’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, has said that the Italy international is suffering from gambling addiction.
‘Sandro is shocked,’ Riso said in an interview with The Times.
‘I hope this experience will help save his life and also the lives of others with his same addictions, including all those young people who are starting to struggle with this addiction.
‘Sandro is playing the most important game of his life, against gambling addiction. He won a lot of big games in his life and I’m sure he’ll win this one too.’
Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is adamant that the club will stand by Tonali, who is ‘devastated’ by the situation.
‘I see the person, I see the human, I see the pain and distress,’ Howe said last week.
‘That’s why my thoughts are always with the player and making sure we look after him. Sandro loves the game and is absolutely devastated.
‘His thoughts are with us and our thoughts are with him. Hopefully between us we can make it work. The most important thing is Sandro and his welfare. It’s very easy for people to forget how young he is, the changes he’s had in his life coming from Italy to England. Footballers are human beings.’
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