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Italian Football Federation has released a statement to clarify their position in response to an ongoing investigation into potential match-fixing involving two well-known sportsmen. The players in issue are Nicol Zaniolo of Aston Villa and Sandro Tonali of Newcastle, both of whom are now being investigated.
Tonali and Zaniolo reportedly departed the Italian national team’s training session after being called in by police for interrogation, according to local newspapers. While the players were on the national team, the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office started the investigation and informed them.
The Federation’s statement underscores that the players are not now in a situation that would allow them to fulfill their impending obligations, regardless of the specifics of the charges. The Federation has made the precautionary decision to allow Tonali and Zaniolo to rejoin their respective club clubs.
The problem has been clarified by journalist Fabrizio Carmona, who notes that one of the allegedly placed bets by Zaniolo happened during his tenure with Roma, in a Coppa Italia game. Fabrizio had previously raised the possibility of connections to betting involving Juventus player Fagioli, which prompted further inquiries from Turin prosecutors and the Italian Football Federation.
This event is not the first time scandal has affected Italian football. Previous to the infamous “Calciopoli” incident of 2006, which exposed match manipulation by clubs, federation officials, and referees and led to fines against numerous illustrious teams, Juventus faced point deductions in the Italian Championship owing to tax evasion.
The probe has taken a severe turn, and as part of the ongoing investigations, the police have seized the players’ cell phones. To add to the seriousness of the matter, Tonali and Zaniolo were both dismissed from their respective squads on Thursday.
According to La Repubblica, the players were extremely shocked by the turn of events and fiercely denied ever placing bets on football games as they described the issue to their families and agents.
The probable involvement of sportsmen in sports betting has been carefully investigated by Italian authorities for months. The investigation first included Juventus midfielder Fagioli, who had his phone seized, and has now expanded to include the two members of the Italian national team.
This research raises awareness of the ongoing fight against match-fixing and the critical necessity to maintain the sport’s integrity, which throws a shadow over the world of football.