Milan’s Pioli Denies Awareness of Sandro Tonali’s Betting Issue

AC Milan’s coach Stefano Pioli has finally broken his silence over the betting scandal involving ex-Rossoneri midfielder Sandro Tonali.

Tonali who joined Newcastle for a total package of €70m back in the summer transfer has constantly been in the news for a betting scandal that earned him a 10-month ban, for a series of breaches of Italian football’s betting rules.

However, when Pioli faced the press today ahead of his side’s UCL showdown with Newcastle later on, the 58-year-old disclosed that he had no knowledge of the midfielder’s off-field issues during his time in Italy.

“Absolutely not. I think I have a fairly open relationship with the players, I try to talk to them about many things but we don’t really know what they do,” the Milan’s boss said.

He continued on the players’ quality: “I think the moment they bought a player like him, Newcastle made a deal, then no one could have predicted what happened

“There are no doubts about his footballing qualities. Newcastle have certainly signed an excellent player.

“I’m very close to him, he was a boy with us very positive and very important for the growth of the team. Unfortunately, he fell into something delicate. We are close to him and I hope that this experience can help him do better in the future.”

Later tonight, AC Milan will take on Newcastle United at the St. James’ Park, with both sides aiming for a win, in other to make it to the next stage of this season’s Champions League.