Gossip columnist Fabrizio Corona claims there are ‘five or six clubs involved’ in the betting scandal, while his source for the names is ‘the uncle of a former Inter player, who is close friends with Mario Balotelli.’
The man known as the King of the Paparazzi until he was given jail time for blackmailing players and clubs with photographs has now found a new lease of life and relevance by releasing the names of players who are under investigation for illegal betting.
They are Nicolò Fagioli of Juventus, Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali and Aston Villa forward Nicolò Zaniolo, while Corona has also named Roma full-back Nicola Zalewski.
“We will announce more names and also reveal the source of our stories, he is the uncle of a former Inter player, who is close friends with Mario Balotelli,” Corona told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Some of the audio clips released show it is a man with a Roman accent, while Corona has said that this source spent time in prison.
He had promised to make another name this afternoon, but so far has not released anything new.
“There are also more international players involved and Presidents too. We are not just talking about Serie A, but B and C too.”
It is reported that both Tonali and Fagioli are now seeing therapists to deal with gambling addiction and Corona is urging more to get help.
“These players are ill, gambling is just as addictive as drugs and they are being chewed up by the system. First they play slot machines, then go into gambling dens and that is how they end up becoming victims of organised crime.”
Corona has been interviewed by the Public Prosecutor in Turin as a witness, because he is in possession of evidence valuable to the investigation.
He also insists that he is carrying on his own separate investigation with his site Dillinger News.
Corona POS trying to take down Italian NT again. Nothing new under the sun. This shill breaks a story during an international break. We’ll see how well that works for you Corona, you sell out.