Gossip columnist Fabrizio Corona claims that Juventus were aware of Nicolo Fagioli’s betting problem in the summer and tried to quietly resolve things rather than reporting it.
On August 2, Corona reported that the Juventus talent had been betting on sporting events and was €1m in debt due to a serious gambling addiction. On Thursday, he admitted to investigators in Turin that he had betted on illegal platforms, but not on matches involving any of his teams.
Fagioli handed over his phone to the police, expanding the scope of the investigation. On Thursday evening, Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo withdrew from the Italy training camp after being implicated in the scandal, with both being questioned by police.
Speaking to Tancredi Palmeri and Sport Italia, Corona alleged that Fagioli’s betting problems were known by Juventus in the summer and that the club chose not to report it to the authorities.
“There’s not just Tonali and Zaniolo. There are also other sportsmen, not footballers. Juventus knew about Fagioli from August 1, so much so that on the American tour they made up an excuse not to bring him, trying to clean him up.
“They failed to report it to the judicial authorities, it’s a very serious offence, a relegation offence. I’m doing a clean investigation, I’m collaborating with justice. Organised crime is involved.”
A report from La Repubblica today claims that at least 10 other Serie A players – including another at Juventus – have also been implicated in the growing betting scandal.