With Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli reportedly agreeing a plea bargain seven-month ban for betting, it is worth comparing to what Brentford’s Ivan Toney did to earn an eight-month ban.
Considering the investigation in Italy also covers other players currently in England, such as Newcastle United man Sandro Tonali and Aston Villa’s Nicolò Zaniolo, the vast difference in approach to punishment could raise quite a few eyebrows in the coming weeks and months.
Fagioli is from a legal perspective doing everything possible to lower his ban, from handing himself in to the authorities when realising he had a gambling addiction to collaborating fully with the investigation and revealing all he knew about others who gambled.
Even then, multiple reports including Sky Sport Italia note it will see him suspended for seven months, effectively ending his season.
Fagioli admitted betting on football matches, but never ones involving his own team.
In comparison, Brentford striker Toney placed bets on games featuring his club at least 29 times, including 13 occasions when he backed his own team to lose and 15 where he bet on himself to score.
He also gave ‘clearly false’ answers to the investigators during the inquiry, withheld information and used third parties to gamble on his behalf.
Despite admitting to 232 breaches of the Football Association’s ban on betting on football matches, the England striker was originally handed only a 15-month ban.
That was reduced to 11 months on appeal, then just eight months because he was diagnosed with gambling addiction during the investigation.
The FA panel noted in its report that it lowering the ban due to the mitigating circumstances, including Toney’s “relative youth at the time when the breaches began” in 2017.
At that time, he was 21 years old, whereas Fagioli is now 22.
If Fagioli, who is taking all possible steps to mitigate his punishment, is facing a seven-month ban in Italy, then Tonali, Zaniolo or others can face far worse sanctions.
Had Toney been in Italy, he would’ve likely faced the full three-year ban.
The Pl always protect their own (including clubs; Man City, etc) to save face and keep their “brand” glowing Susy. Normal.