Football: "I locked myself in my shell", Sandro Tonali confides in his addiction to sports betting

With 31 games under his belt this season (including 21 starts), Sandro Tonali has regained his place as a key player in the Newcastle squad. However, last season, he was unable to play any matches with his team due to an extra-sporting problem. In October 2023, the Brescia native was suspended for 10 months by the Italian Football Federation after illegal sports betting, particularly on AC Milan, his club at the time of the incident. This Wednesday, match day for the Magpies against Liverpool , the Italian media outlet La Repubblica published a long interview in which the player spoke frankly about his demons and addictions.

The Italian international says frankly that betting on sports "became a habit at 17-18 years old" . "The fact that it was online blinded me to everything, I locked myself in my shell" , he says. "A compulsive gambler doesn't talk about it, but if he frees himself, he can get involved. Talking is the hardest thing. You can never make yourself look like a loser, but the only real help is to open up" he reveals. To open up, Tonali did not hesitate to "spend a lot of time with a psychologist and a psychiatrist, months" to "understand" how he had gotten to this point . "In my case, my financial situation did not allow me to realize the seriousness of the situation." he admits.

Promising that you want to change is good, but you have to want it deep down. For the Italian midfielder, the trigger came in a Newcastle factory when he met several employees who were themselves addicted to sports betting. They told him their story frankly and the impact that the amounts they gambled had on their daily lives. To change, he had to take radical measures like completely cutting off his phone for almost six months. "I was closed to everyone, even to those who loved me and whom I loved, and I changed my behavior. Today, I am a different man," he promises.

In his interview, the player does not forget to warmly thank his club for the support he has received: "My teammates and the coach have always kept me inside, as have the staff and the management. The Newcastle fans and the opposing supporters have never judged me. Here, they respect everyone's problems, they don't push things too much and they try to help you." If he has not lost his brilliance on the green rectangle, Tonali could well cause a stir in the next summer transfer window to return to the Champions League.