Zaniolo and Tonali situation mars Italy’s buildup for England game

Luciano Spalletti had planned to tap into the recent Premier League experience of Nicolò Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali for Italy’s Euro 2024 qualifier against England at Wembley. Both players featured in his first game in charge of the Azzurri last month and were called up again for this latest international round. On Friday, however, they left Italy’s training base after being informed that they were under investigation by public prosecutors in Turin.

Zaniolo and Tonali were questioned and had electronic devices seized by police during a surprise raid at the Coverciano facility one day before. The Italian football federation (FIGC) released them back to their clubs, observing in a statement that they could not be in the right frame of mind for games against Malta and England and stressing a desire “to protect the players as well”.

It is not yet known what charges, if any, they will face. Thursday’s police actions were part of a wider investigation into illegal betting platforms, which Zaniolo and Tonali are alleged to have used. Gambling on unlicensed websites in Italy is a criminal offence that can carry a prison sentence of up to three months or a sliding scale of fines.

There is a separate thread of sporting justice. Professional footballers in Italy are prohibited from betting on any competition organised by Fifa, Uefa or the FIGC. Doing so is punishable with a three-year ban, though this may be reduced with a guilty plea. Any such suspension would be expected to apply to Premier League games as well.

Gianluca Tognozzi, a lawyer representing Zaniolo, told La Gazzetta dello Sport on Sunday that his client had not placed any bets. “It’s possible that he played a card game like poker or blackjack on an illegal platform,