Roma's Stephan El Shaarawy and Nicola Zalewski deny illegal gambling allegations (1 Viewer)

Roma's Stephan El Shaarawy and Nicola Zalewski have firmly denied any involvement in illegal betting activities, as per an official statement from the club. Recent days have seen Italian football hit by a gambling scandal involving Nicolo Fagioli, Sandro Tonali, and Nicolo Zaniolo, all indicted by Turin prosecutors.

The controversy began with accusations against Juventus midfielder Fagioli, who has admitted to gambling on illicit platforms, resulting in a seven-month suspension. In another turn, the agent of Newcastle United midfielder Tonali acknowledged his client's struggle with addiction and his bets on AC Milan games during his time at the club. This could potentially lead to a ban of up to three years.

Moreover, entrepreneur and photographer Fabrizio Corona alleged the involvement of Zalewski and El Shaarawy in unlawful gambling. However, AS Roma vehemently rejected these claims as "reputation-damaging" and emphasized that both players have denied any wrongdoing.

Roma issued a statement to support Zalewski and El Shaarawy, stating,

"The club has total confidence in Nicola and Stephan when they claim to have nothing to do with this matter."

In response to these developments, Tonali and Zaniolo withdrew from the Italy squad, while El Shaarawy played in the Azzurri's 3-1 loss to England in Euro 2024 qualifying, and Zalewski contributed a goal and an assist for Poland's Under-21 team in a 5-0 Euros qualifying victory over Estonia on Tuesday.

As Roma currently occupies the 10th spot in the Serie A table and is set to return to action against Monza on Sunday, with both El Shaarawy and Zalewski expected to participate.