Italian football has once again been embroiled in a betting scandal. Twelve Serie A players are involved in the case, and investigations by the Turin prosecutor’s office are ongoing. In this context, Sandro Tonali has made his first statements.

The Newcastle player claimed that Pietro Marinoni, a Serie D (Italian fourth division) referee, introduced him to illegal betting. According to reports, the referee was responsible for collecting betting funds and delivering them to “Tommaso Di Giacomo,” one of the organizers of this illegal network.

Marinoni managed to contact Tonali when he was at Brescia. He was a classmate of Tonali’s sister and used this connection to persuade the former AC Milan star to participate in illegal betting.

Currently, the referee has been suspended from all football activities pending further investigations.

Following Tonali’s statements, the prosecutor’s office has prioritized investigating the referee’s role to determine whether bets were placed on football matches.

This action violates Article 24, Clause 1 of the “Sports Justice Code,” which explicitly prohibits any form of betting by members on matches organized by the Italian Football Federation, FIFA, or UEFA.

If proven guilty, offenders face a minimum three-year suspension unless a settlement is reached before sentencing, in which case the suspension period is automatically halved.

However, if evidence of sports violations is found, penalties could be intensified.