Nicolo Zaniolo met with Italian authorities Wednesday to reiterate his case and argue that he hasn’t placed a football wager, thus Aston Villa may now “breathe a sigh of relief.”
Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport, who both covered the Italian midfielder’s meeting yesterday, claim as much.
According to Gazzetta, Zaniolo was questioned by public prosecutor Manuela Pedrotta for about three hours yesterday on the seventh floor of the Turin Prosecutor’s Office.
They claim that he departed the conference “with a lighter spirit” and that his future is uncertain because there isn’t any evidence against him that would allow for a suspension from competition, similar to the ones imposed on Nicolo Fagioli and Sandro Tonali.
Once more, Zaniolo has maintained that he “sometimes played blackjack and poker on illegal platforms’ but clarified that he had never been subjected to threats or intimidation or bet on football in any form
According to the publication, he has not broken article 24 of the code of sporting justice and won’t be banned unless further proof is found, based on the material that is in the possession of the Turin Prosecutor’s Office.
They claim that Monchi, the sports director of Aston Villa, and Unai Emery “breathe a sigh of relief” at what has been shown in “the drafts” thus far.
They have always trusted Zaniolo’s advice and are working closely with him on their plans; last night, the player returned to Birmingham so he could play against Luton.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Zaniolo came in a “dark mood” but left much happy after spending 2.5 hours in the offices, of which 1 hour was spent in “pleasurableries.”
The remaining time was devoted to examining conversations that were taken from his cell phone, queries and demands for “detailed information” on the illicit websites he had visited, and the creation and dismantling of “assumptions” one by one.
The Aston Villa player answered all of the prosecutors’ questions and showed complete cooperation as they searched for any connections.
If there are any connections to organized crime, they want to know about them, and it appears that this was the main goal of Zaniolo’s interview.
Given that he has consistently insisted there is no proof of him placing football bets, it looks as though he will receive a “mandatory penalty” for using “clandestine portals” to place bets, and that will be the end of the story.
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