Italian footballing legend Andrea Pirlo is said to have blocked his son’s bank after learning of illegal gambling bets.
According to reports from Corriere della Sera, the former Juventus and Milan midfielder blocked his son’s accounts in 2022, following the discovery of €30,000 worth of illegal online gambling debts. At the time, his son Nicolò was just 17 years old.
The news came to light via Fiorentina midfielder Nicolò Fagioli telling Serie D referee Pietro Marinoni, who in turn is suspected of organising the illegal gambling activity.
In a WhatsApp chat thought to date back to June 7, 2022, Fagioli labelled Nicolò ‘one of us’ in a message to Marinoni.
“He went into debt recovery, but his father found out and blocked his bank account until he was 18,” the messages continued. “Having a €30,000 debt at 17 is something else.”
It’s thought that the 17-year-old was betting on some of the same illegal platforms said to be used by Fagioli, Tonali, and other football players, as revealed as part of a new investigation into illegal online betting.
Fagioli and Tonali have been accused of promoting the illegal sites among teammates and other players, with Fagioli saying in a deposition: “I pointed out to [former Aston Villa forward Nicolò] Zaniolo illegal sites where he could make online bets, on roulette or poker … the organisers of the sites had told me that they would give me some advantages if I brought other bettors.”
Illegal gambling investigations old and new
As it stands today, Tonali and Fagioli are not at risk of any further bans from the sport, but are already facing 10-month and seven-month bans respectively due to the results of a prior investigation, as well as a stipulation to undergo gambling therapy. Now, they’re also collaborating with the authorities as part of a new round of investigations, where they could face a maximum fine of €250 ($284) from Italian authorities.
Football Italia reports that there’s no evidence that any of the 12 current and former Serie A players involved in the ongoing investigation ever directly gambled on football games.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
