Azzurri coach Luciano Spalletti says it was a ‘difficult night’ for the team following the betting scandal in Italian football which broke yesterday. Juventus youngster Nicolo Fagioli was the first footballer implicated in the betting probe, before Nicolo Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali were also accused of being involved. The pair were questioned by police last night, resulting in their wiithdrawal from the national team for the next batch of EURO 2024 qualifiers.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Spalletti explained the situation at the training camp and why he and his team are standing by the pair as the investigation continues:
“It was a difficult night, in another sense, because then when you have to bring home important results there is a bit of expectation and anxiety. It was a different night because there was a lot of bitterness based on what happened, the whole team was close to them and sorry for what happened.
“We will continue to stand by them, it is right to help them defend themselves but it is also right that justice takes its course and if they have done wrong it is right to pay. Gravina and Abodi spoke about the risk of falling into these situations, we have to help young people who fall into these pitfalls to create a focus on what is happening’.
“Sending them home? It is not nice to look for the person who made the decision, it is a correct decision. We can’t take two boys shocked by such a situation to play a match, it wouldn’t be fair to them and to others. We’re losing two champions, Zaniolo is clean from a bit of camp vices and Tonali is strong and in good form. I hope to see them back as soon as possible, but we remain an infinitely strong team. We can’t coach our alibis, either I win or I’m the inferior one.
“We have to be serene and happy to do this job, it’s sad to see that the potential we have is not given to everyone. We are the lucky ones because we can be at the top, we can show what values and intelligence we have. We need to understand that we are privileged, we need to make it clear to ourselves and to others’:
