Juventus Turin on Thursday provided “full support” to its midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, suspended seven months for making bets on illegal platforms.
“The club took note of the formalization (of the sanction, Editor’s note) by the Italian Football Federation this Thursday and confirms its full support for Nicolo Fagioli to accompany him in his journey,” Juve indicated in a press release. The most successful club in Italian football has indicated that it will provide its 22-year-old player with “the necessary support in carrying out the therapeutic program” planned by the FIGC as part of its sanction.
“We firmly believe that Nicolo, with the support of the club, his teammates, his family members and the professionals who assist him, will approach the therapeutic and training journey with a great sense of responsibility,” the text continues. “Once his suspension has been served, he will be able to return to competition with the serenity that is his due,” concludes Juve.
The FIGC formalized on Thursday the sanction it imposed on Fagioli on Tuesday, namely twelve months of suspension, five of which were suspended, accompanied by an obligation of treatment to put an end to his addiction to gambling. The midfielder, selected once for the Italian team, will continue to train with his teammates and can theoretically play again by the end of the season, the 38th and final day of the season being scheduled for May 26 , one week after the end of his suspension.
Fagioli admitted to FIGC investigators that he had made sports bets on illegal platforms, notably on football matches, but never on matches for Juve, his club since 2020, and Cremonese, where he spent the 2021-22 season on loan.
Fagioli, whose gambling debts exceeded three million euros, was liable to a three-year suspension for violating article 24 of the FIGC sports justice code which prohibits a professional player from betting on football matches. But the FIGC took into account his cooperation with the investigation. Earlier on Thursday, the president of the Italian Federation Gabriele Gravina promised to “accompany” the players involved in the sports betting affair and “never abandon them”.
