Sandro Tonali 'absolutely distraught' after 'traumatic' meeting with Italian authorities

Sandro Tonali was left 'absolutely distraught' after the Newcastle midfielder was questioned by Italian authorities while away on international duty.

Tonali and over 40 other players are suspected of being involved in the betting scandal that has rocked Italian football.

It was reported that Tonali and international teammate Nicolo Zaniolo, who plays his football for Aston Villa, were both questioned by authorities last week.

Italy boss Luciano Spalletti has since lifted the lid on Tonali's reaction to the visit, claiming he and Zaniolo were left "distraught" by the situation.

Speaking ahead of Italy's highly anticipated Euro 2024 qualifying bout against England on Tuesday, Spalletti said: "It was traumatic for the team because we had the authorities almost coming into the dressing room.

"Everyone was surprised. Everyone was upset, but we had almost a whole day from when we said goodbye to them and some of us were even able to give them a hug before they went home.

"The players themselves [Tonali and Zaniolo] were absolutely distraught because when you are part of a national team, very strong ties and bonds are created. After the results, the one other thing that you keep with you for the rest of your life is the lasting relationships that you make in the national team set-up.

He added: "We are committed to keep speaking to these players. We will continue to keep an eye on them and try and provide them with all the help, information and support that we can to make sure that they can then go back to doing what they enjoy the most."

Tonali has been given the green light to play for Newcastle after the international break. But it was decided by the The Italian Football Federation that both players were 'not in the right condition' to play for their country.

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.

Topics: Sandro Tonali, Newcastle United, Football, Italy, Aston Villa, Premier League

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno