Antonio Conte and Gianluca Tognozzi, the lawyers of Aston Villa forward Nicolo Zaniolo felt confident that the ‘case will be closed soon’ after the three hours of questioning today.
The 24-year-old Italian visited the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office this afternoon to meet Manuela Pedrotta, the head of the investigation into illegal betting platforms. He was been accused of placing bets on these unregulated platforms and is one of the key figures in the recent Serie A betting scandal.
The other two central players – Juventus’ Nicolo Fagioli and Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali – both admitted to placing bets on football matches and received lengthy bans. Zaniolo, on the other, denied ever gambling on football, instead claiming that he only played card games on the platforms.
Speaking to the media after the interview via TMW, Zaniolo’s lawyers Conte and Tognozzi discussed the current situation and next steps.
“Nicolò Zaniolo answered all the questions and did not avoid any objections formulated by the prosecutor definitively clarifying his position. No evidence emerged against him regarding the possibility of betting on football matches.
“He acknowledged having occasionally played poker and blackjack on illegal platforms and clarified that he had never been subjected to threats or intimidation. We are confident that our client’s legal case will be closed soon.”
Should his turn of events be true, Zaniolo would only risk a fine and would not be given a ban like Fagioli and Tonali.