Nicolo Fagioli to serve “seven-month” football suspension for betting on illegal platforms

Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, who rose through the ranks of the Juventus club academy and got his chance to play for the first team last season, has been involved in a gambling scandal alongside other prominent Italian teammates such as Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo. 

Fagioli was being investigated by the authorities due to his participation on illegal betting on online sites and has accepted his involvement. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) suspended the player and now he has been sentenced to a prolonged ban. 

Nicolo Fagioli slapped with seven-month football suspension

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) sentenced a 7-month ban on Juventus player, Nicolo Fagioli for breaching the FA regulations of betting. In addition, a fine of €12,500 has also been imposed for his involvement in placing bids on matches organized with FIFA, UEFA, and Italian FA. 

The Italian FA released a statement on Tuesday announcing the ban on the 22-year-old midfielder. According to the regulations, any professional who participates in any kind of illegal betting will be handed a three-year suspension. However, for Fagioli, it has been reduced to 7 months as the player didn’t place any bets on Juventus.

The Turin public prosecutor and FIGC have agreed to his plea filed by the player to reduce the duration of the suspension, accounting for his cooperation with the authorities. Nicolo himself had reported his involvement in the illegal betting activities to the authorities. Now, he will be out of action for the next 7 months. 

Fagioli has featured in 6 games for Juventus this season in Serie A. In November he made his debut for the Italian national team as a substitute in a 3-1 win against Albania in a friendly fixture. 

Nicolo Fagioli accused Sandro Tonali for involving him in illegal betting

Alongside Fagioli, two other prominent names involved in the gambling scandal are Nicolo Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali. The Juventus player revealed that the Newcastle midfielder was the one who introduced the application to his fellow teammates for placing bets online.

Following the ban, Fagioli stated, “I thought to start apologizing to Juventus fans and all the football fans around the world after my mistake, but I’m shocked by fake stories in the newspapers, full of fake details just to put me in a bad light. I’ll clarify soon.”

Meanwhile, the verdict on the other two players is yet to be announced. Zaniolo insisted he never placed bets on matches but instead played poker and card games. Sandro Tonali’s situation seems worse as he is the main suspect in the case of betting.