Nicolò Fagioli will miss seven months after plea bargaining his suspension for gambling on football matches. He realized he had to get out of the situation in May and was first questioned by Turin’s DA office in June. He accumulated substantial debt over the years, La Repubblica informs.
“I started betting on tennis. Since I had to give back sizeable sums on various platforms, I began playing football too in September 2022. While we were with Italy U-21, Sandro Tonali suggested a site that didn’t keep a record. My mother advised me to seek help in the past. I deluded myself thinking I could do without. I was playing everything I saw on the TV compulsively, even Serie B and Lega Pro.”
Fagioli relayed that he owed sketchy individuals €3M.
“I received physical threats as the debt increased. They told me they would break my legs if I didn’t settle it. I never gambled on Juventus, Cremonese or a goal scorer, just on live results or the over/under.”
The midfielder even asked for €40k loans to two teammates, Federico Gatti and Radu Dragusin, to buy watches for the bookies, justifying himself by saying that his mother had frozen his accounts.
Fagioli stated that very few knew of his addiction.
“I informed just my mom and friends that aren’t footballers. I didn’t tell the club because I had to renew my contract and feared that it would have impeded it.”
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