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)

Sandro Tonali, a Newcastle United midfielder, faced a major setback when he was handed a 10-month ban for engaging in illegal betting. This will keep him out of the team for the club season and possibly even for Euro 2024. This is part of a larger Italian football betting scandal involving players like Nicolo Zanioli and Fagioli.

However, the article highlights not only the case of these players but also sheds light on a more serious issue with football as a whole. Despite some attempts to reduce it, gambling in sports has drawn attention and worries about its influence, particularly in light of the frequency of betting business advertising in football. Organizations have observed a rise in players seeking therapy for gambling addiction, and numerous players have spoken out about the gambling culture in football.

There has been a varied reaction to games that engage in gambling. Some advocate for compassion and understanding, while others push for harsher punishments. Amidst this, there is a demand to reconsider football's connection with gambling companies, raising ethical concerns about doing so.

There is doubt about football cutting its connections with profitable gambling relationships despite the problems and the necessity for research, suggesting a potential continued struggle to solve this issue fully.

Narrative Construction

This article starts off with a very informal introduction where Kaustubh Pandey, the author of the article, insinuates that things might not be looking too good for the Newcastle United star player Sandro Tonali:

"A few weeks ago, things seemed to be going perfectly for Newcastle United and their new star midfielder Sandro Tonali."

The article is split into three sections: the main topic (which states what the scandal is, who is involved, and what is going to happen to the ones involved), the gambling situation in football as a whole, and people's opinion about Tonali's punishment. 

After the introduction, the article states the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the scandal. The body explains how in early October 2023, Tonali was investigated for illegal gambling by Italian prosecutors. A few days later the news broke out about Tonali's 10-month ban from football. This ban was initiated by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

This section goes on to further explain that another two football players were investigated for illegal betting; Nicolo Fagioli and Nicolo Zaniolo. An interesting concept is that the author mentions the players's ages. Therefore, this sets the tone that this article is not only about reporting the gambling problems that these players have but also highlights the fact that young football players are starting to fall into bad habits.

This moves the article to the next section: the gambling situation in football as a whole. The author states how as time goes on, more gambling advertisement in the sport is being done, specifically plastered on the players's kits and in the stadiums.

The author of the article uses quotations from an Italian football journalist, Nima Tavallaey Roodsari, to show her opinion on the matter:

"I do think it is hypocritical that the league promotes betting... and then loses its mind over betting when certain people do it."

However, the author also uses a quotation that shows the flipside of this. A quote from a charity in the UK called Gambling With Lives shows sympathy toward these footballers who have fallen into the addictive habit of gambling:

"Footballers are human and if they are suffering from addiction they deserve empathy and support, not lengthy bans."

This gives the readers both sides of the perspective in order for them to formulate their own opinions on the matter.

The last section returns the focus on Tonali's situation, specifically the public's opinion on it. The first quotation shown is from Tonali's club boss, Eddie Howe who expresses nothing but support to his star player. A football journalist and Newcastle United fan, Jacque Talbot states:

"There is no ill will on our part about what he's done. We look forward to having Tonali back for next season and it seems fans are going out their way to lend him support any chance they get."

Although this quotation comes from a journalist, it is very biased because it is stated that he is a fan of the team. Therefore, this quote should be taken with a grain of salt. However, although there are positive and supportive comments made by fans, journalists, and even the club boss, the author lists quotations from Ferrini and Roodasri again to state that these sponsorships are hurting the sport and also the players. Again this choice of contrast, lets the readers see both sides of the coin.

Unfortunately, this article does not end with a conclusion and ends quite abruptly. It ends with a quotation from Roodsari which makes the readers think about the situation:

"I don't think anything will come from it. Because the people in charge won't let it happen."

Treatment

Although this article mainly speaks about gambling addiction, it focuses on gambling in the world of football. However, although it specifies football, gambling sponsors are not only found in that sport but are found in other sports like basketball and American football. Therefore, this article is not only targeted at football fanatics.

As the subject is of a heavy and mature nature, the article's demographic would not be children but older teenagers and adults. The topic of gambling would not be truly understood by young children and therefore, that is why the demographic is of the older generation.

Quality and Depth of Subject Matter

Pandey delves deep into the subject matter. The author not only talks about the topic at hand which is Sandro Tonali's 10-month band from football, but also talks about the root of the problem in the sport itself.

The second section of the article provides the reader with the necessary information for them to understand how the source of the problem came about. The use of quotations from various people like, journalists, the club boss of Newcastle United, and even a gambling awareness charity, provides not only information but also adds different perspectives on the matter. 

These contrasting views open the panel for debate in the community where everyone can voice their opinion and hopefully come out with an outcome that can benefit everyone, even though this can be hard or even impossible at times.

The Presenter's Intentions on Telling the Story

Kaustubh Pandey's intentions in sharing this article with the public were probably twofold: on one hand, to spread the latest scandal in the football scene, while on the other hand, to shed light on the problems that arise with advertising gambling sites in a large domain. Professional footballers enter the big leagues at a very young age. Although at the age of 18 one is considered to be an adult, when all the fame and fortune kick in, one might become reckless with what they have. Therefore, with the constant betting advertisement going around and the constant reminder of it on a player's kit, the temptation might bite them.

Therefore, the author's intentions might not have been only to report the latest news but to also raise the concerns certain people have about these advertisements in the sport.

Article: 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)