Seven-month ban: Juventus star alleged to have placed illegal bets

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is investigating a Juventus Turin professional. The footballer is accused of placing illegal sports bets on a large scale. For this, a seven-month ban has now been imposed on the Juve star. But which star is it and what exactly is he accused of?

Back in August of this year, we at GambleJoe reported that the American NFL had taken action against several players and suspended them. Among other things, the officials accused the players of placing illegal bets. In a recent case from Italy, a professional football player is alleged to have placed illegal bets. Now, not only the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), but also the public prosecutor's office in Turin is investigating. Now, last Wednesday, the punishment has been officially announced.

What is the specific accusation?

The 22-year-old star of Italian football club Juventus is accused of placing bets on illegal sites. To make matters worse, he allegedly used several different identities to do so. According to the news portal Spiegel.de, the professional footballer is alleged to have gambled away more than one million euros on illegal sports bets on online platforms. In Italy, it is illegal for footballers to bet on their own team's matches. According to the AFP news agency, the investigation has been underway since the summer of this year.

It is still unclear on which platforms the Juventus star allegedly placed the illegal bets. In February this year, we reported that casino streamer Ron Bielecki had been fined more than €480,000 after illegally taking part in online gambling.

Which Juventus star are we talking about?

The Juventus professional is said to be Nicolò Fagioli. The midfielder has been with Juventus since 2015. He will continue to play for the junior side until 2021 before making the switch to the senior side. Fagioli did not make his senior international debut until the end of 2022, against Albania.

Now the 22-year-old Juventus star is facing a possible three-year ban. He could also have been fined up to 25,000 euros. It was only on Wednesday 18 October that it was announced that Fagioli would only be suspended for seven months. The total suspension imposed was twelve months. However, the Juve star will be able to make up the difference of five months with other commitments, meaning he will be eligible to play again in seven months' time. He was also fined 12,500 euros.

Fagioli is understood to have co-operated with investigators in the run-up to the hearing in order to secure a lighter punishment. The 22-year-old had vehemently denied betting on his own club's matches. In Italy, however, it is already illegal for a professional sportsman to bet on the sport in which he plays.

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