Juventus offer Fagioli ‘full support’ after ban

Juventus have offered their “full support” to midfielder Nicolo Fagioli after he was banned for seven months for breaching betting rules.

The Italian will also have therapy to tackle his gambling problem.

Juventus said they will be “providing the player with the necessary support in carrying out the indicated therapeutic plan”.

The therapy plan will last for at least six months, with the Italian football federation (FIGC) saying Fagioli broke rules about placing bets on football events organised by them, European governing body Uefa and world ruling body Fifa.

Fagioli is alleged to have used a variety of identities to place bets on illegal websites.

Juventus said in a statement on their website: “The club has noted the official press release from the FIGC and confirms its full support for Nicolo Fagioli in tackling this path.

“We are firmly convinced that Nicolo, with the support of the club, his team-mates, his family and the professionals who will assist him, will face the therapeutic and training process with a great sense of responsibility and, once the disqualification has been served, will be able to return to competing with due serenity,” the statement added.

Fagioli is one of several players being investigated, along with Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo, who is on loan at Aston Villa from Galatasaray, as part of a probe into Italian football betting.

Newcastle confirmed on Wednesday that midfielder Tonali is being investigated by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and that he is co-operating with the enquiry.

Tonali and Zaniolo were both withdrawn from Italy’s training camp this week while Fagioli, who has one senior international cap, was not part of their squad for Saturday’s win over Malta and Tuesday’s defeat by England.