Tonali, Zaniolo leave Italy squad amid betting probe

Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo are returning to their respective clubs after being questioned by police at the Italian national team's camp, Italy's football federation, FIGC, announced Thursday.

Their withdrawal from the national team comes amid allegations that the pair have been involved in illegal betting, according to The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.

The FIGC didn't reveal the nature of Thursday's meeting with police, only confirming Turin investigators had met with Tonali and Zaniolo and that the pair will be unavailable for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and England.

"The Federation announces that, in the late afternoon of today, the public prosecutor's office of Turin has notified investigative acts to footballers Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo, currently meeting with the national team at the Federal Technical Center of Coverciano," the FIGC's statement reads.

"Regardless of the nature of the acts, considering that in this situation the two players are not in the necessary condition to face the commitments scheduled in the coming days, the Federation has decided, also to protect them, to allow them to return to their respective clubs."

It was announced Wednesday that Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli was under investigation by the FIGC over alleged gambling breaches. He faces a three-year ban and a significant fine if found guilty.

The same prosecutor's office in Turin that questioned Tonali and Zaniolo also opened an investigation into Fagioli, according to Agence France-Presse.

The allegations against Newcastle's Tonali and Aston Villa's Zaniolo were made by columnist Fabrizio Corona, according to Susy Campanale of Football Italia. In particular, Corona accused Zaniolo of betting on Roma's Coppa Italia games while he was a member of the Serie A team.