The new betting scandal in Italian football has its first legal consequences. National player Nicolò Fagioli from Juventus Turin will be banned for seven months after an agreement with prosecutors at the sports court.
The Italian football association FIGC announced this on Tuesday (October 17, 2023) in Rome. The relatively short suspension is twelve months in total, but the 22-year-old midfielder can serve five of them with a number of other commitments.
Therapy as a condition
This includes Fagioli undergoing therapy for his gambling addiction for six months. There is also a fine of 12,500 euros.
Fagioli, who has played once for the Squadra Azzurra, is considered the central figure in the scandal. The young star is said to have gambled away more than a million euros in illegal sports betting on online platforms. In the past few days he had already cooperated with the investigators – with the aim of avoiding a ban lasting several years. With the current agreement he has achieved that.
The verdict against Fagioli was announced on Tuesday a few hours before the important European Championship qualifier in England. Two other young stars of the national team are also involved in the scandal, but they had to leave the team: Sandro Tonali (23) and Nicolò Zaniolo (24), both of whom are under contract in the English Premier League. Tonali only moved from AC Milan to Newcastle United in the summer, Zaniolo plays at Aston Villa.
Further revelations announced
The former celebrity photographer Fabrizio Corona, who made the affair public, has announced that he will name more names of footballers involved.