Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been suspended for 10 months by the Italian Football Federation for the use of illegal gambling sites and for betting on soccer matches while he was playing in Italy.

Tonali’s ban is set to apply worldwide — meaning he would be ineligible to play for Newcastle the rest of the 2023-24 season or play for Italy in Euro 2024. The penalty came after Tonali agreed to the punishment as part of a plea bargain following an investigation into Tonali and other players’ betting habits.

The 23-year-old midfielder joined Newcastle from AC Milan over the summer and was Newcastle’s highest-profile signing of the offseason. He’s accused of using illegal gambling websites while playing in Italy and betting on AC Milan matches while he was with the team. He could have been suspended for three years according to Italian rules, but was able to have his sentence significantly reduced as part of his cooperation agreement

Tonali’s agent has said that Tonali has a gambling addiction and the player is going to therapy. Gazzetta reported last week that Tonali had admitted to betting on Milan games that he didn’t participate in.