Two Italy players, Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo, have been dropped from the national team’s squad ahead of their crucial Euro 2024 qualifier against England on Tuesday.
Tonali and Zaniolo were excluded from Italy’s squad for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta on Saturday and the match against England at Wembley next Tuesday. This decision follows their questioning by the police regarding alleged betting violations.
Both players recently completed transfers to Premier League clubs during the summer. Tonali signed a £55 million deal with Newcastle United from AC Milan, while Zaniolo joined Aston Villa on loan from Galatasaray.
However, the duo now face accusations of engaging in football gambling activities during their time in Italy. If found guilty, they could potentially face a ban of at least three years.
Following police interviews on Thursday, Italy’s football federation (FIGC) released a statement confirming the departure of Tonali and Zaniolo from the national team squad for the Malta and England games.
In part, the FIGC statement said, “Regardless of the allegations, we believe that the players are not in the appropriate condition to fulfill the upcoming commitments. To protect them, the Federation has decided to allow them to return to their respective clubs.”
