Italian FA: Don’t condemn Aston Villa's Nicolo Zaniolo
The president of the Italian FA has warned against “condemning” Nicolo Zaniolo as the Villla attacker remains at the centre of an alleged betting scandal.
Zaniolo and Italy team-mate Sandro Tonali left the national team squad last week after being interviewed by police investigating illegal gambling.
Tonali’s agent yesterday claimed the midfielder is battling a “betting addiction”. Zaniolo, who was due to meet with Villa officials yesterday to discuss his situation, is expected to maintain he never bet on football matches and did not know sites he was using were illegal.
Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina yesterday pledged to keep supporting both players. He said: “As a human being I feel for the two players, they are like children to me. We should not condemn these young boys. Gambling addiction is not a football problem, it’s a social plague. I assure you that whoever is asking for help we will help.”
“Whoever made a mistake will be punished and helped in a healing and recovery project. We need to put these people on a path to recovery. We have to make sure these children can come back. We will not abandon these boys, ever.”
