Two Premier League stars, who play international football together, have been questioned by authorities after being accused of illegal gambling.
According to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Italy internationals Nicolo Zaniolo, who plays for Aston Villa and Sandro Tonali – Newcastle have left their national team’s training camp amid allegations of illegal betting.
This happens after being accused about possible involvement in illegal betting.
The two midfielders were questioned by police on Thursday and will now be unavailable for the Azzurri ahead of their upcoming fixtures.
The 2020 UEFA European Championship winners are set to take on Malta this weekend and England next week Tuesday in 2024 Euro qualifiers.
The Italian federation has issued a statement on the matter, confirming that both players will return to their clubs.
“The Federation announces that, in the late afternoon of today, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Turin has notified investigative acts to footballers Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo, currently meeting with the national team at the Federal Technical Center of Coverciano. Regardless of the nature of the acts, considering that in this situation the two players are not in the necessary condition to face the commitments scheduled in the coming days, the Federation has decided, also to protect them, to allow them to return to their respective clubs.”
Brentford striker Ivan Toney recently received a significant ban from football after being found guilty of betting on matches, many of which he was involved in.
Zaniolo joined Aston Villa in August from Galatasaray, while Tonali swapped AC Milan for Newcastle United in the transfer window at the start of the season.