Italian players Nicolo Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali, who play for Aston Villa and Newcastle respectively, admitted that they engaged in bets on games of chance. However, they denied that any betting occurred on football matches within the scope of the Betting Case being investigated by the Turin Prosecutor’s Office. They left the Italian squad focused and undisturbed during this period.
The players were questioned by the Italian police in Coverciano, near Florence, after Italy’s training session on Thursday. Both stated that they did not bet on football matches, mentioning only poker and blackjack. This account was reported by the newspaper La Repubblica on Friday.
They did not deny being friends with their fellow football countryman Nicolo Fagioli. The question at the top of the investigation was: which players emerged first in this case? The inquiry, ongoing for several months, is conducted by the Turin Prosecutor’s Office and centers on illegal betting on unlicensed online platforms.
The same newspaper also reported that the list of involved players does not stop with these three names; it may expand, with up to ten footballers currently under consideration and the prospect of day-by-day additions.
In fact, Italian media outlet Dillinger News, which had initially announced Zaniolo and Tonali’s involvement on Thursday, asserted on Friday that a fourth footballer is implicated: Nicola Zalewski, a winger for Roma, though there has been no official confirmation yet. The report suggested the young player is connected to the case.
Following identifications by Zaniolo and Tonali, the mobile phones of both players were seized to review all messages and determine whether any football betting activity occurred.
Fagioli reportedly admitted placing bets on football. Local media indicate sanctions could be reduced if a player self-reports to sports justice, as stated by his legal representatives.
Betting itself is permitted in Italy under certain conditions, but not when it involves activities connected to the Italian Football Federation. In this situation, it would fall under the federation’s own sport rules.
Specifically, Article 24 stipulates that betting on football is prohibited regardless of a person’s role within the sport. If it is demonstrated that Tonali and Zaniolo did not place bets on matches, they will not face sanctions from the FIGC, although ordinary justice can diverge from sports justice in such matters.
According to the federation’s regime, individuals connected to clubs in the professional sector may be allowed to place or accept bets on official match results, either directly or indirectly, if authorized within the framework of FIGC, FIFA, and UEFA guidelines.
Penalties for this type of offense may include a suspension of at least three years and a fine of at least 25,000 euros.
The Turin Prosecutor’s Office uncovered the players’ names unexpectedly while examining a betting network involving illegal sites, a case that also touches on potential links to Italian organized crime.