An illicit betting scandal and three players in turmoil. Italy is passionate about the new unfortunate affair affecting its football, with Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus Turin), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle, ex-AC Milan) and Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa) on the front line. The first is the least known internationally but it was he who offered the first revelations, by deciding to cooperate with Italian justice. We therefore learned that he had been threatened by men when he had not paid his gambling debts, and that it was Tonali who had advised him to bet on an illicit site.
Sandro Tonali, 23, also decided to cooperate, in the hope of seeing his sentence reduced. Fagiolo thus received a 7-month suspension (and 5 months of suspended sentence), a fine of 12,500 euros and therapeutic monitoring for several months to treat his gambling addiction. But the Newcastle midfielder risks take more expensive. Indeed, unlike Fagioli who had never bet on Juventus matches, Tonali admitted to having played on AC Milan matches. This is what he revealed to Giuseppe Chinè, the magistrate in charge of the case.
At least a year’s suspension?
And that changes a lot of things, since the misdeed can be considered as a pure and simple offense and no longer just a sporting offense, according to Italian law. Mitigating circumstance, according to Tonali’s statements, he only bet in favor of his team. Which therefore does not affect the veracity of the result. It remains to be seen whether the midfielder told the whole truth, while his phone and tablet are currently being analyzed by investigators.
If the bets on one’s own team are confirmed, the sanction of the prosecution would necessarily be more than 3 years according to the Gazzetta dello Sport. But the player’s cooperation and transparency, as well as his desire to shorten the time as much as possible to find out his sanction, will reduce the score. Probably not as much as for Fagioli. Tonali has also already made it known that he would be followed to treat his addiction, just to prove his good will. The Italian media imagine a sanction of at least 1 year for the Italian international, recruited for more than €70 million by Newcastle this summer. And we will then have to wait to see if the punishment is extended throughout Europe…
