Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo have been sent home from international duty after Italian authorities opened an investigation into allegations made against the Premier League stars. Newcastle United midfielder Tonali and Aston Villa winger Zaniolo have been accused of allegedly breaching betting regulations during their time playing in the Serie A for AC Milan and AS Roma respectively.
It is claimed that Zaniolo allegedly made a bet against their own team while they were sat on the substitutes’ bench, as per Football Italia. However, it is not yet clear if he was in the matchday squad for the game in question.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) issued a statement confirming the pair would be returning to their clubs after they were interviewed by police on Thursday afternoon at the national team camp in Coverciano.
FIGC’s statement read: “Regardless of the allegations, we believe in this situation the players are not in the necessary condition to face the commitments scheduled in the next days. The Federation has decided, also to protect them, to allow them to return to their respective clubs.”
Neither club has publicly addressed the allegations made against their players. Aston Villa declined to comment when approached by Express Sport, while Newcastle have also been contacted for comment.
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