Sandro Tonali and Niccolo Zaniolo have been left out of the Italy squad for the double with Malta and England, two footballers who play in the Premier League, suspected of involvement in illegal sports betting.

Sandro Tonali and Niccolo Zaniolo, suspected of being an illicit couple

The Italian agency Ansa confirms that Tonali (Newcastle) and Zaniolo (Aston Villa) are wanted by Italian justice for their involvement in illegal betting.

The two players spoke to law enforcement in Coverciano (Sqaudre Azzura’s training center) to investigate their involvement in illegal betting.

The players are accompanied by former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, the head of the Italian delegation, and if the facts are proven, they face a serious disqualification, writes News.ro.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Thursday that Tonali and Zaniolo have been left out of the national squad and will miss the 2024 European Championship qualifiers against Malta (Saturday) and England (Tuesday).

“In this situation, both players will not be able to fulfill their obligations in the coming days,” wrote the Italian federation, which “allowed them to return to their clubs.”

Know:

• The FIGC announced on Wednesday that it had opened an investigation in August to determine whether Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus) was involved in sports betting. He is suspected of using multiple profiles to place bets on underground platforms.

• In May 2022, Ivan Toney (Brentford) was banned by the FA for 8 months and fined £50,000 for his involvement in illegal matches from 2017 to 2021.

• Brazil’s Lucas Paqueta (West Ham) has become the subject of an investigation after the FA learned that people close to the player had placed a bet on Paqueta receiving a yellow card during a Premier League match in the 2022-2023 season .