Likely ban for Sandro Tonali goes public as player comes clean during meeting - Worrying news

A worrying update has emerged from Italy this morning, with respected journalist Fabiana della Valle reporting that Sandro Tonali has now admitted to betting on AC Milan matches.

She reports that the Newcastle United midfielder met with Prosecutor Giuseppe Chine yesterday and confessed to his involvement in football betting during a three hour interrogation.

Betting on his own team makes this a matter of sporting misconduct and could, in some cases, lead to a three-year ban, but the fact he is now aiding the investigation, coming clean and pursuing a plea agreement means a 12 month suspension could be sanctioned.

It's believed he did not bet on games he was involved in, meaning he was not in a position to impact the result. This could aid his case when it comes to a punishment, but the Italian media - including Sky Italy - now expect the 23-year-old to be suspended for longer than the seven months given to Italian teammate Nicolo Fagiolo.

What a mess. Let's hope Tonali gets the help he needs and comes back stronger, if indeed a lengthy ban is forthcoming.

The question this poses is - did Milan know about this before selling the player to Newcastle for £55m over the summer?