Sandro Tonali came on midway through the second half of Newcastle's Premier League win over Crystal Palace at St James' Park on October 21. The Italian's introduction was warmly received. The home fans even unfurled a banner in his honour. "Forza Tonali" it read.
Eddie Howe praised the crowd for their show of support but acknowledged that "the hardest part is ahead" for the £60 million ($72.5m) summer signing from AC Milan - and the Newcastle boss was right. Tonali came off the bench again in the Champions League loss to Borussia Dortmund four days later but, the following afternoon, it was confirmed that the Italy international had been banned from playing football for 10 months.
So, why exactly has Tonali been suspended? And who else has been implicated in the biggest betting scandal to rock Italian football since 'Totonero' more than 40 years ago? GOAL will attempt to explain all below...