13 Players, Including US Soccer Star Weston McKennie, Are Under Investigation for Gambling

In Italy, 13 soccer players are being probed for illegal online betting, including United States midfielder Weston McKennie, according to extensive media reports.

Milan prosecutors have launched a new inquiry based on testimony provided by Nicolò Fagioli and Sandro Tonali in 2023. Following plea deals that included treatment for a gambling addiction, both were subsequently banned for extended periods of time, which prevented them from playing for the most of the previous season.

Fagioli, a midfielder for Juventus who is presently on loan at Fiorentina, was given a seven-month penalty for betting on games, while Tonali of Newcastle was given a harsher sentence of ten months because he also bet on his team’s games, which at the time were AC Milan.

Weston McKennie and other players from Italy involved

Along with nine other current or past Serie A players, Leeds defender Junior Firpo, and Fagioli’s former Juventus colleague McKennie, the two are also named in the latest inquiry.

The other players’ identities surfaced from Tonali and Fagioli’s depositions and device analysis, but there is no proof that they actually wagered on soccer matches.

The participants are under investigation for using illicit sites to gamble on other sports and play poker online. As a result, they run the danger of a maximum fine of 250 euros ($284) from Italian authorities rather than a ban.

Additionally, Tonali and Fagioli have been charged with spreading the word about those websites to their teammates and fellow soccer players.

During a deposition, Fagioli stated: “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.”

Fagioli’s phone also contained a message concerning Zaniolo that read, “Bravo, capture him, work for me.”

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