Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli is under investigation as part of an investigation by the Turin prosecutor's office into several illegal online betting platforms.
Article Key Points
His name emerged while the Turin mobile squad, led by Luigi Mitola, was analyzing, as part of an investigation, a betting ring on illegal online sites, not directly connected to football betting.
The player would have no role in organizing the bets, but his name would have emerged among the various profiles of the bettors.
Gambling is not a crime, except on illegal platforms: an athlete, whatever his role (whether he is an athlete, a coach or a manager) cannot bet on the discipline he practices.
If this is the scenario that has affected the 22-year-old Piacenza midfielder from the point of view of ordinary justice, with fairly light consequences in the event of proven guilt (usually the contravention is extinguished with an oblation, or with the payment of a sum), the repercussions of the affair on Fagioli's career could be much more serious, as he risks a heavy disqualification. The Football Federation was notified of the Turin investigation at the end of August and the federal prosecutor Giuseppe Chiné has in turn opened a file and acquired the first documents.
If it were proven that the player had placed bets on football, he would be subject to the provisions of article 24 of the Sports Justice Code, entitled "Prohibition of betting and obligation to report".
Paragraph 1 of the article in question states: “The subjects of the federal system, managers, members and registered members of companies belonging to the professional sector are prohibited from placing or accepting bets, directly or indirectly, even from those authorised to receive them, which have as their object results relating to official matches organised within the FIGC, FIFA and UEFA”.
Article 24 of the Sports Justice Code, which regulates the ban on betting
Paragraph 2 broadens the scope to unauthorized bookmakers, which would be the case with Fagioli: “The subjects of the federal system, managers, members and registered members of the clubs belonging to the amateur sector and the youth sector are prohibited from placing or accepting bets, directly or indirectly, from subjects not authorized to receive them, which have as their object results relating to official matches organized within the FIGC, FIFA and UEFA. They are also prohibited from placing or accepting bets, directly or indirectly, from subjects authorized to receive them relating to matches of the competitions in which their teams compete”.
The penalty, in the event of proven guilt, is a disqualification of no less than 3 years: "The violation of the prohibition referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 entails for the subjects of the federal system, for the managers, for the partners and for the managers of the companies the sanction of inhibition or disqualification of no less than three years and of a fine of no less than Euro 25.000,00", states paragraph 3 of article 24.
A very heavy blow for a player who seemed to be on the way to a great career: 45 appearances overall with Juventus, between last season and the current one, with 3 goals and 6 assists. And then the Italian national team, where Fagioli made his debut last November, playing 13 minutes in Albania-Italy in Tirana. Everything put at risk by a conduct that if proven would be truly reckless for a high-level athlete.
Article published on 11 October 2023 - 09:12
