Addiction is a huge problem that can happen to anyone from any walk of life, which has been the case for some Italian footballers, including Sandro Tonali, Alessandro Florenzi, Nicolo Fagioli, and Nico Zaniolo. Recent revelations of illegal gambling in Italian football have been shocking, and bans have already been handed out to some culprits.
The latest one to be investigated is AC Milan’s Alessandro Florenzi, as illegal gambling fiascos continues to overshadow soccer in Italy. With big bans already handed out to Tonali and Juventus’ Fagioli, the fate of the 32-year-old AC Milan full-back hangs in the balance.
Alessandro Florenzi investigated for gambling
Authorities continue to shed light on illegal gambling in Italy, and Alessandro Florenzi is the latest name to go under the microscope. News broke out late last night that Alessandro Florenzi was being looked into by Turin prosecutors, the same people responsible for handing out bans to Tonali and Fagioli per reports.
While Alessandro Florenzi has yet to comment on the claims publicly, the same report suggests that he’s set to be summoned for questioning in the next coming days as the betting scandal in Italian football continues to widen.
If found guilty, Alessandro Florenzi, whose current contract at Milan expires at the end of the 2024/25 season, could also be handed a lengthy ban that would see his club look into potential contract termination.
Everything began when Fagioli was placed under investigation, with the Juventus youngster finally admitting to addiction, implicating Newcastle’s new boy Sandro Tonali in the process. “I saw Tonali playing and asked him what he was doing,” Fagioli told Tuttosport.
“He told me I could do it too because there was no trace of betting. I placed the first bets on tennis and then football events. I placed bets on irregular sites. I remember one called Betart and another, Icebet,” the Italy international further explained.
Fagioli was then handed a seven-month ban, thanks to his cooperation with the prosecutors, who could have handed a longer ban period had he not been cooperating.
Despite the long ban, Juventus rewarded Fagioli with a long-term contract as a way of supporting the youngster through these terrible times.
When will Sandro Tonali return?
Sandro Tonali has suffered the most from the ongoing betting scandal going on in Italy right now. The Newcastle midfielder was implicated by Fagioli’s confession, leading to prosecutors launching an investigation into the former AC Milan midfielder, and his initial refusal to cooperate eventually led to him being handed a longer ban period.
Tonali was banned for 10 months, but the incredible support he received from Newcastle during this period would have helped him deal with the weight of his ban seamlessly. The Newcastle fans displayed a banner showing “Forza Tonali” to throw their weight behind their second-most expensive signing, prompting him to take a lap of honor in appreciation of the fans when Newcastle hosted Crystal Palace last month.
Newcastle had hoped to sign Ruben Neves from partner club Al-Hilal as a temporary replacement for the Italian, but a new Premier League loan rule could affect this deal as PL clubs get ready to vote to cancel inward loan deals between associated clubs.
Can Sandro Tonali still go ahead to have a great career at Newcastle?
