October 13 – Two high-profile Italian players have been turfed out of their national team amid a headline-making betting probe
Sandro Tonoli and Nicolo Zanioli, who both play in the English Premier League, were sent back to their clubs from Italy’s training camp on Thursday after being notified by police of a criminal investigation into alleged gambling offences.
In a statement, theItalian FA (FIGC) confirmed that midfielder Tonali and forward Zaniolo, who play for Newcastle United and Aston Villa respectively, had been formally informed of the probe by prosecutors from Turin at the Azzurri’s Coverciano training centre.
The pair will miss Italy’s Euro 2024 qualifying matches with Malta and England, with the European champions second in Group C but level on seven points with Ukraine and North Macedonia.
“Regardless of the nature of the investigative order, given that in this situation the two players are not in the right condition to face the commitments of the coming days, the federation has decided… to allow them to return to their respective clubs,” the FIGC said.
The news comes a day after FIGC prosecutors announced a probe into Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, who is alleged to have used a variety of identities to place bets on illegal websites.
Fagioli’s lawyers claimed the 22-year-old, who is also being investigated by Turin’s criminal prosecutors, handed himself into the authorities.
Tonali became the most expensive Italian footballer when Newcastle bought him from AC Milan in the summer, and has played 15 times for his country.
Zaniolo, who also has 15 international caps, was once the rising young star of Italian football but suffered two serious knee injuries. He was loaned from Galatasaray to Villa in August.
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