Further Analysis: The addiction of betting in the football scene

An article by Al Jazeera, published on the 27th of October, 2023, highlighted young football players' gambling struggles.

Pandey, K. (2023) Football's 'hypocrisy': Betting scandals hit the sport in Italy and beyond, Al Jazeera. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/sports/2023/10/27/italy-football-gambling-betting-scandal-addiction-tonali-fagioli (Accessed:06 November 2023)

The 5 W's and 1 H

The addiction to gambling can hinder one's life quite severely. If the addiction becomes extreme, homelessness could occur. However, when fame and fortune come in, money is not an issue. However, this does not mean that there would not be any actions taken against them. In the sporting world, advertisements help it stay afloat. Therefore, advertisements of gambling sites on players' kits and banners all over stadiums become necessary to keep the money flowing in clubs and associations.

Three young football players have been investigated and two of them reprimanded for engaging in illegal betting sites and betting on football matches. The players in question are Sandro Tonali, Nicolo Zniolo, and Nicolo Fagioli.

The first news broke out on the 11th of October, 2023, when Italian media reported that Nicolo Fagioli, the 22-year-old Juventus midfielder, was held under investigation for engaging in illegal betting websites to gamble on football matches. Two days later, on the 13th of October, 2023, La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, broke the news about Tonali and Zaniolo regarding them being questioned on illegal betting as well. 

Fagioli explained that the reason that he got into the gambling scene was because of Tonali's introduction. During Fagioli's hearing, he also stated that he has been suffering from a gambling addiction for a while and has a large sum in debt. It is important to note, however, that Fagioli never betted on any of his clubs's games. 

On the flip side of this, Tonli was not as squeaky clean as Fagioli. He admitted to gambling on the clubs, Milan and Brescia, while he was playing for them. In contrast to Tonali and Fagioli, he admitted that he never bet on any football games illegally.

As a repercussion of what Fagioli and Tonli have done, they received a ban from playing with their clubs or in any sporting event, like Euro 2024, and a large fine. Fagioli received a seven-month ban and a 12,500 euro fine, whereas Tonli received a 10-month ban. To combat the addiction, each of them will receive therapy so that they can overcome this horrible habit.

According to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), it is illegal to bet on matches in Italy. As these players betted while in Italy, playing for Italian teams, the repercussions were warranted.

Although in Italy this is illegal, this does not mean that outside of the Italian football league, players do not have gambling issues. Over the years, the organization Professional Footballers Association has stated that the number of players seeking help for their addiction has drastically increased. This has happened due to the overexposure of gambling sites that players constantly see. They are everywhere, in their stadium and even on their kits, displayed front and centre.

The only way this could be combatted is by promoting the opposite. Some teams like Tonali's team, Newcastle United, have removed their gambling sponsor and replaced it with a non-gambling one, in order to help out their players by limiting their exposure to these sites.

CINPPUT

Impact

Sandro Tonali's ten-month ban has definitely impacted not only the fans, as they will miss him and they might not see him play in the 2024 Euro but has heavily impacted Newcastle United. Tonali was making a name for himself in this new team, and this sudden departure will definitely impact the team in one way or another.

Prominence

As the article is about three prominent football players, people will take an interest in it because it is not about the common Joey's problem. As a society, we put celebrities on a high pedestal, and therefore, hearing and reading about our favourite stars dealing with something that the common person can deal with, surprises and interests us.

Article: Mac Dougall, D. (2023) Brussels police kill suspect in shooting deaths of Sweden fans, euronews. Available at: https://www.euronews.com/2023/10/17/brussels-police-shoot-and-arrest-suspect-in-killing-of-swedish-football-fans (Accessed: 06 November 2023)