Alessandro Florenzi’s lawyers clarify that the Milan full-back is ‘in no way even accused’ of gambling on football matches, so is likely to face only a fine.
The former Roma and Paris Saint-Germain veteran was placed under investigation this week and then gave a deposition directly to the public prosecutor in Turin on Thursday.
Much like Italy and Aston Villa forward Nicolò Zaniolo, the accusation is only that he gambled on illegal apps for things such as roulette, blackjack and poker, which is considerably less serious than placing bets on any sporting event.
“As we already wrote in the statement that we released to the media, Florenzi is in no way accused of anything regarding football bets, they are merely personal bets that we clarified. I hope there will be no more to say, it is a very similar situation to Zaniolo,” lawyer Gianluca Tognozzi told TV Play.
“This is absolutely nothing to do with the world of football. The prosecutor in Turin did not send anything to the sporting justice prosecutor, because this is not related to football.
“Florenzi confirmed to the prosecutor in Turin that he has never bet on football in his life and there is absolutely no suggestion that he did.”
While it is against the rules for professional football players to gamble on anything, including games of chance, there are significantly more serious repercussions if they are found to have placed bets on matches.
That becomes more serious if they gamble on their own teams, which Sandro Tonali confessed to have done while at Milan and Brescia.
Tonali received a 10-month ban from football, while Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli is suspended for seven months, both also undergoing treatment for gambling addiction.