Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo will likely be handed a small fine as part of the Serie A betting scandal and is aiming to return to the Italy squad for their final Euro 2024 qualifiers.
On October 12, Zaniolo and his Azzurri teammate Sandro Tonali were forced to withdraw from the national team’s retreat at Coverciano after being publicly accused of betting on football matches.
Tonali has been handed a 10-month ban after admitting to placing bets on Brescia and Milan during his spells at both clubs, but things have been far less severe for Zaniolo, who has reiterated that he only gambled on poker and blackjack on the unregulated platforms.
Page nine of today’s Gazzetta dello Sport details how the federal prosecutors are still investigating the betting case, but are not concerned that Zaniolo betted on football matches. He will likely be handed a fine of a few thousand euros, assuming nothing changes in the investigation.
Zaniolo has continued to feature for Aston Villa in recent weeks and is now hoping to receive a call up for the November international break, wanting to take part in Italy’s crucial Euro 2024 qualifiers against North Macedonia and Ukraine.
I won’t bother he’s absolute pants……!!