Several Serie A Players Investigated for Illegal Betting | OneFootball

The betting-related scandal that previously stopped at Sandro Tonali, Nicolò Fagioli, and Nicolò Zaniolo has expanded to a few more current and former Serie A players, Corriere della Sera reports (via Calcio e Finanza).

Twelve footballers are under investigation as part of a large probe into an illegal gambling racket in Milan. The others are Alessandro Florenzi, Mattia Perin, Weston McKennie, Leandro Paredes, Angel Di Maria, Raoul Bellanova, Samuele Ricci, Matteo Cancellieri, Cristian Buonaiuto, and Junior Firpo.

None is suspected of match-fixing. A few of them didn’t bet on their sport and partook in different activities on illicit platforms between December 2021 and October 2023. The chats on the cell phones of Tonali and Fagioli contributed to the findings.

The players tended to pile up debt toward who was running the business and then settled it with fake acquisitions of expensive watches in a local shop. Since the inquiry is almost complete, the federal prosecutor will be able to ask for the documents and will assess each player’s position.

A disqualification in sports justice isn’t automatic but will depend on the infractions. For instance, Zaniolo got away scot-free because he was playing poker and not betting. They could face trial for a misdemeanor in the ordinary system. Tonali and Fagioli plea bargained long bans and collaborated with the detectives. The former reportedly did it more sincerely than the latter. The sums at stake were significant. The police seized €1.5M in their most recent raid.