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Ahead of Italy’s friendly clash with England, the Euro 2020 champions have been hit by a major betting scandal.
And it will certainly boost the Three Lions’ chances of beating Luciano Spalletti’s side at Wembley on Tuesday night.
Spalletti himself admitted that Italy had suffered a ‘painful’ week.
Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniello of Newcastle and Aston Villa respectively are under police investigation following a raid on the country’s training camp last week.
Italy pair Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo have been forced to withdraw from the team to face England
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Reports claim that Tonali has admitted betting on football matches and faces a ban of up to three years if he does not cooperate with authorities. However, others say that he only played poker and blackjack.
As far as Zaniello is concerned, the Villa star says he did not bet on football matches – and was not aware that he played on illegal platforms.
In short, it’s a mess.
Tonali and Zanillo are the first two players to be targeted by the authorities, who are eyeing players over 40.
Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli is also under investigation – and, like his compatriot, has had his phones and other devices seized.
In Italy, there are strict rules that prevent athletes from betting on their sports.
Anyone found guilty of breaching their rules could face a three-year ban from football.
However, there are fears that this is only the beginning. There are concerns other top players will be involved and it is only a matter of time before more details emerge.
Of course, Italy has been beset by scandal in the past. Most notably in 2006 – the same year they won the World Cup.
Juventus were relegated to Serie B and stripped of two Serie A titles after being found guilty of match-fixing.
AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were all penalized as well.
But losing several big names would be a crisis for the country who have worked hard to qualify so far, rather than just one elite club.
They have won three of their five matches but Ukraine are now losing badly.
If they beat Malta tonight and England win the war-torn country could go above Italy – 15 goals have been scored in six games so far.
Speaking ahead of the match between England and Italy, Spalletti admitted it had been a ‘painful’ week.
And he also believes that betting and gambling can also be ‘a form of temptation’.
“It’s been painful for the team because we almost had officials in the dressing room,” he said.
Everyone was surprised. Everyone was worried. Some of us were able to hug him before he went home.
“The players themselves were absolutely distraught because when you are part of a national team, very strong relationships and bonds are formed.
“Apart from the results you get, another thing you carry with you throughout your life are the lasting relationships you form in the national team set-up.
“I think it’s a form of temptation, gambling is a form of temptation, it’s an evil, and these things happen and can happen.
“But we are committed to continuing to talk to these players, we will keep our eye on them, and we will try to provide them with all the help, information and support we can to ensure they can get back on track Which they can do.” They enjoy doing this the most.
“We are all affected by this audacity.
“We need to move forward. We need to focus on what our goals are.”
latest developments:
England host Italy at Wembley tonight in a repeat of the Euro 2024 final
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“They are good players. But we can’t depend only on these players to get results.”
He added, “We have to do our job. The only way to do that is to go out there and compete.”
“If you don’t want to compete, if you don’t want to test yourself against the best in football, you might as well give up.
“There is no point in doing this. We have not come to play any old game. We have come to play the match we want to play.”
