United States midfielder Weston McKennie is among 13 soccer players being investigated for illegal online betting in Italy, according to widespread media reports.
Evidence presented by Sandro Tonali and Nicola Fagioli in 2023 has prompted a new investigation by Milan prosecutors. Both were placed on lengthy suspensions after agreeing to plea bargains that included treatment for gambling addiction. This kept them out for the majority of the season. Juventus midfielder Fagioli – currently on loan at Fiorentina – was banned for seven months after admitting to betting on matches, while Newcastle’s Tonali received a longer suspension of 10 months as his bets also included his team’s games — at the time AC Milan.
The new investigation also names the pair, as well as Junior Firpo, a defender for Leeds, McKennie, who was Fagioli’s teammate at Juventus when he was younger, and nine other players who play in or have played in Serie A. The other players’ names were discovered through depositions given by Tonali and Fagioli and device analysis, but there is no evidence that they ever gambled on soccer games. The players are being investigated for using illegal platforms for online poker and betting on other sports. As a result, Italian authorities can only fine them up to €250 ($284) instead of banning them. Tonali and Fagioli have also been accused of promoting those sites among their teammates and other soccer players.
“I pointed out to [former Aston Villa forward Nicol] Zaniolo illegal sites where he could make online bets, on roulette or poker… the organizers of the sites had told me that they would give me some advantages if I brought other bettors,” Fagioli stated in a deposition. Also found on Fagioli’s phone was a message about Zaniolo that said, “Bravo, capture him, work for me.”
