Italian players facing worldwide bans as gambling violation inquiries intensify

Three Italian players are being faced with the possibility of major bans from football as prosecutors intensify their pursuit based on allegations of illegal betting. 

Juventus’ Nicolò Fagioli was the first to be trailed by Italian prosecutors over alleged betting violations, and the midfielder was soon joined by Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali and Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo. 

The latter two were accosted at the Italian national team’s training camp ahead of their Euro 2024 qualifying match against Malta and were quizzed by police about their connections to an ongoing betting scandal investigation. 

Both players have since left the camp after questioning, as the Italian FA notes that they will need to focus on clearing their name of the charges and will be unable to focus on playing for the Azzurri at this time. 

All three players were accused of betting irregularities by an Italian journalist, who alleged that some of the players even bet on teams that they were playing for, a clear violation of betting ethics amongst football players. 

Juventus midfielder Fagioli has allegedly already submitted to authorities for punishment and could face a ban of up to three years, which is the minimum penalty for betting violations in Italy. 

Other players under investigation could face stiffer punishments if found guilty and could be railroaded out of their footballing careers with lengthy bans on the table for placing suspicious bets. 

Two of the players, Zaniolo and Tonali, no longer play in Italy, where the alleged offences were committed, but they will still face the music of any potential bans, which will be ratified by both UEFA and FIFA.