Alessandro Florenzi ‘is the latest player to be named in the Italian football scandal over allegations of illegal gambling – with the AC Milan defender informed by authorities he is under investigation’

AC Milan defender Alessandro Florenzi has reportedly become the latest Italian player to be investigated by authorities over alleged illegal gambling activities. 

Italian football was rocked by scandal last month after Sandro Tonali, Nicolo Fagioli and Nicolo Zaniolo were named in an investigation by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation (FIGC) into claims of illegal gambling.

Tonali and Fagioli have both since been banned for 10 months and seven months respectively after working out plea bargains with the FIGC, with Tonali reportedly admitting to betting on matches involving his former club AC Milan. 

Meanwhile, Zaniolo is not thought to be seeking a plea bargain, and will instead be looking for a full acquittal.  The former Roma player is said to be adamant that he only placed bets on online poker and blackjack games – which is not in contravention of the Sports Justice Code. 

And now, in fresh revelations, according to Italian news agency AGI, Florenzi is the latest player to be caught up in the betting scandal. 

Sandro Tonali (pictured), Nicolo Fagioli and Nicolo Zaniolo were named in an investigation by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation (FIGC) into claims of illegal gambling last month, with the Newcastle midfielder subsequently receiving a 10-month ban

After the aforementioned news regarding Tonali, Fagioli and Zaniolo, the probe has continued in the background and authorities have now told Florenzi – who counts Roma, PSG and Valencia among his former clubs – that he is under formal investigation.

The reports goes onto claim the charge he faces is the same as Zaniolo, meaning he is under investigation for betting on online games rather than football matches. 

However, it is still prohibited for footballers to gamble on anything at all, but the punishment is likely to be less severe, with the report claiming if found guilty Florenzi would only likely be fined.

The right back has won 49 caps for Italy since his debut in 2012 and featured off the bench in their 3-1 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to England last month, but he is not in Luciano Spalletti’s squad for their upcoming international fixtures.

He is set to meet with prosecutors and give his version of events in Turin over the coming days. 

Despite the allegations not being to do with betting on football matches, the report claims Zaniolo and Florenzi could still be in serious trouble if they used illegal sites to play online games. 

Meanwhile, in regards to the punishments handed out to Tonali and Fagioli, the Newcastle midfielder reached an agreement with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office over an 18-month sanction last month. 

The sanction will consist of a 10-month ban from football, while eight months will be form of a ‘therapeutic plan’ to help his ‘recovery from a gambling addiction’, which his agent said he suffered with. 

This will include at least 16 public appearances in Italy at amateur sports associations and ‘federal territorial centres.’

He is reportedly being investigated for betting on online games rather than football matches

Nicolo Fagioli (left) and Nicolo Zaniolo were also named in the investigation by Italian authorities. Fagioli received a seven-month ban after admitting guilt and a gambling addiction

Tonali was also fined £17,380 for breaching FIGC rules that prohibited players from placing bets on football events organised by FIGC, UEFA and FIFA.

Elsewhere, Fagioli became the first player to speak directly to prosecutors after news broke of the investigation, and the 22-year-old was subsequently handed a seven-month ban from football. 

The player’s ban is a significant reduction from the usual minimum sanction of three years after he admitted his guilt and confessed to a gambling addiction.

However, Juventus have kept faith with the promising midfielder, handing him a new contract until 2028 after they promised to stick by him during his ban.