Italy’s soccer has been plagued by the widening betting scandal for days. And there is no end in sight, finally more and more details come to light – confessions of Sandro Tonali included.
The investigation into Juventus professional Nicolo Fagioli began on October 11, but eight days later this “first snowball” has already become an avalanche in Italian soccer, which is burdened by the betting scandal.
For example, the midfielder, who is only 22 years old and has been in Turin since 2015 and is thus a homegrown player of the Old Lady, has already been banned for seven months – far more would have been possible. It has also emerged that Fagioli is believed to have accumulated millions in debt as a result of his sports betting and to have received “severe threats” in return.
However, the case is drawing many more circles. For example, the Juve man, who cooperated closely with the investigating authorities and thus received some remission of punishment, has assured that he did not bet on games of the Bianconeri or US Cremonese (loan station 2021 to 2022). Something that can not be written about Sandro Tonali, also put under the microscope by the authorities. For the professional, recently sent home from the Italian national team together with Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa), who is also under the burning glass, has himself admitted to having bet money on Milan matches.
Will Tonali go for the Fagioli deal?
Also on real Serie A duels of his ex-club, from which he parted this summer for big money to Newcastle United.
So Tonali has admitted his gambling addiction in the course of the investigation into possible illegal sports betting. As reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport, the Premier League midfielder has submitted a certificate to the chief prosecutor of the Italian Football Federation. In addition, Tonali had declared his willingness to undergo therapy.
According to media reports, the 23-year-old is seeking a similar agreement to Fagioli, who agreed to a seven-month ban with the federation precisely because of his open cooperation. The Juventus player must also pay a fine of 12,500 euros and undergo at least six months of therapy to combat his gambling addiction. In addition, Fagioli will attend ten lectures on gambling addiction.
Tonali is not in debt, but his situation is more serious precisely because he gambled on games at his two ex-clubs Milan and Brescia Calcio, according to Italian media reports.
Are more names coming to light?
For the “Corriere della Sera” and the journalists Simona Lorenzetti and Massimiliano Nerozzi, who are working on the matter, the matter is therefore clear: the cases of Fagioli and Tonali, who is facing a ban of over a year, are according to them “only the tip of the iceberg”. Far more, they agree, will come to light in the near future.
Meanwhile, Zaniolo, who is also involved in the matter – names such as Federico Gatti (Juventus), Nicolo Casale (Lazio Roma), Nicola Zalewski or Stephan El Shaarawy (both AS Roma) are already circulating – is driving a different strategy. The 24-year-old attacker from Aston Villa (formerly Galarasaray and Roma) denies the accusations and only admits to having played poker and blackjack and not knowing that he was on illegal sites.
Gambling is generally allowed in Italy, but not on illegal online platforms. However, gamblers are not allowed to bet in sports in which they themselves are active. The former celebrity photographer Fabrizio Corona, who made the affair public, has already announced that he will be naming more names of footballers involved in the near future.
Newcastle supports Tonali
Back to Tonali again: his current club Newcastle recently confirmed for the first time itself that Tonali is under investigation by the Italian Public Prosecutor’s Office and the National Football Federation (FIGC) for allegations of illegal betting. It says: “Due to the ongoing proceedings, Sandro and Newcastle United cannot comment further at this time.”
The Premier League representative further stated that the 23-year-old Italian international is fully participating in the investigation and will continue to cooperate with all relevant authorities. He added that he has Newcastle’s full support in this.
Where all this will ultimately lead, it is still too early apart from the verdict against Fagioli. The investigation is ongoing and ongoing.
