Tonali & Zaniolo also involved
Juventus international player Nicolò Fagioli has been banned for seven months in an illegal sports betting case involving several Italian footballers. The penalty imposed by the Italian Football Association FIGC announced on Tuesday in Rome is considered lenient after Fagioli reached an agreement with prosecutors at the sports court. The ban is actually twelve months in total, but the 22-year-old midfielder can shorten five of them with the help of other concessions. This includes therapy for his gambling addiction, which he has to undergo for six months. There is also a fine of 12,500 euros.
Fagioli has so far been considered the central figure in the case, but by no means the only one. The young professional is said to have gambled away more than a million euros on online platforms. In the past few days he had cooperated with the investigators, otherwise the one-time national player would have been threatened with a ban of several years. The verdict against Fagioli was announced on Tuesday a few hours before the important European Championship qualifier in England.
Illegal online betting: Tonali and Zaniolo also implicated
Two other youngsters from Squadra Azzura who had to end their international trip with the team are also involved in the affair: Sandro Tonali (23) and Nicolò Zaniolo (24), both under contract in the English Premier League. Tonali only moved from AC Milan to Newcastle United in the summer, Zaniolo plays at Aston Villa. According to a report in the daily newspaper La Repubblica, Tonali is seeking a similar agreement with investigators.
Gambling is generally allowed in Italy, but not on illegal online platforms. Players are also not allowed to bet on sports in which they are active. The former celebrity photographer Francesco Corona, who made the affair public, has announced that he will name more names of footballers involved.
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