"I hope it saves his life" Tonali's agent said about the illegal gambling scandal

Last week fans around the world were shocked by the news that three Italian players are under investigation for illegal betting scandals. They are Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, Aston Villa midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo and Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali.

Upon learning of the news, Zaniolo and Tonali were ruled out of the Italian National Team, in a decision that was announced by the Italian Federation with a statement that read: “Regardless of the nature of the acts, believing that in this situation the two players are not in the necessary condition to face the commitments scheduled in the next few days, the Federation has decided to allow their return to their clubs, even at protection of the same."

According to Il Corriere della Sera, Tonali hired a therapist to help him fight gambling addiction. And now his agent Giuseppe Riso has given details of how the player is doing: “Sandro suffers of gambling addiction. He’s fighting to avoid that and I’m sure he will win this difficult game. He is in shock, he is shaken and sad. I hope that this experience saves his life and that of many others, that it helps those who fall into the same habit as him.”

Then Riso assured that Newcastle are "absolutely at the moment on his side". And he even said: "Sandro is training, and on Saturday he could also play". The Magpies will face Crystal Palace on Saturday, October 21 at St. James' Park, in the Premier League.

What will happen to them?

Investigations into these illegal bets continue and, according to reports, there are more than 40 players involved. If they are found to have bet on soccer matches, it will be a violation of article 24 of the Code of Sporting Justice. That could mean a minimum suspension of three years, although a plea bargain could halve that punishment.