Tonali and Zaniolo, investigated for illegal gambling: "It was only poker and blackjack"

Italian players Nicolo Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali , who currently play for Aston Villa and Newcastle, respectively, admitted to participating in gambling activities. However, they categorically denied betting on football matches. These statements were made in the context of the ongoing investigation by the Turin Prosecutor's Office known as the 'Gambling Case'. As a result of this situation, the mentioned players were forced to leave the Italian national team's training camp , this Thursday, just before their scheduled match against Malta on October 14th, for the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

After the 'Azurri' training session in Coverciano, in Florence, in the north of the country, the players were interrogated by the local Police and were forced to leave. Both denied having placed bets on football matches and stated that "it was only in poker and blackjack," as reported by the newspaper La Repubblica, this Friday.