Sandro Tonali investigated again with Newcastle ace and Man Utd flop among 12 stars caught up in illegal betting scandal

SANDRO TONALI is being investigated again as part of a probe into alleged illegal betting in Italy involving TWELVE players.

The Newcastle star previously served a 10-month ban in October 2023 for betting on matches, including his then-team AC Milan.

Getty

Sandro Tonali is one of 12 players caught up in an illegal betting scandal in Italy[/caption]

PA:Press Association

Man Utd flop Angel Di Maria is also among those being investigated by prosecutors[/caption]

But prosecutors in Italy have now opened investigations into 12 current and former Serie A stars in a fresh illegal betting probe.

They include ex-Manchester United flop Angel Di Maria, now at Benfica, and Fiorentina’s Nicolo Fagioli – who, like Tonali, has already served a ban for illegal betting.

Other players caught up in the new storm are Juventus duo Weston McKennie and Mattia Perin, Roma’s Leandro Paredes, Atalanta’s Raoul Bellanova and Torino’s Samuele Ricci.

Italian media outlets ANSA and AGI both claim that all 12 players are being investigated for poker games and betting on sporting events – but not football matches – on banned gambling platforms.

It’s added that Italian prosecutors allege Tonali and Fagioli were rewarded financially for recruiting other gamblers to the clandestine platforms.

On Friday morning, the Milan prosecutor’s office placed five people under house arrest for “illegal gambling activities and money laundering.”

£1.3million was seized from a jewellery store in Milan, which prosecutors believe to be the base of the illegal operation.

None of the 12 footballers alleged to be caught up in the investigation were among those arrested.

It’s claimed that if they are guilty, the players are likely to just face a fine.

But that would be separate from any punishment dished out by the Italian Football Federation.

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