Italian football once again finds itself embroiled in a scandal, this time involving a controversy related to sports betting. Several Italian internationals, including Nicolò Fagioli, Nicolò Zaniolo, and Sandro Tonali, are implicated in this affair. The Juventus player has officially been handed a seven-month suspension this Tuesday afternoon. The Minister of Sports and Youth in the Giorgia Meloni government, Andrea Abodi, did not mince his words: “The football betting affair? I consider it to be a major betrayal, as well as a non-educational message because players should also be a behavioral reference. The main conflict lies between legal and illegal gambling, with the latter remaining untracked and feeding criminal activity. Footballers know that they cannot bet, perhaps there is a lack of control within the locker room.”
“We need systematic control. There are organizations that work almost exclusively on this. It is a war between good and evil that allows no distractions. I am trying to develop a charter of responsibilities because contracts focus on rights, but I believe that there should also be responsibilities such as not doping, not accepting black money, not betting, not watching matches on illegal platforms. In the past, coaches would directly follow them, but today they have a lot of free time and there is a need for a more systematic global presence,” added the 63-year-old Italian politician.
Published on 17/10/2023 at 19:34
Updated on 17/10/2023 at 19:35
