Weston McKennie investigated for illegal gambling as he is named among 13 other players for the same allegations.
Weston McKennie is among 13 soccer players being investigated for illegal online betting in Italy.
In 2023, Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Fagioli provided information that prompted Milan prosecutors to launch a new inquiry. Both then accepted plea deals that included treatment for a gambling addiction, which resulted in lengthy bans that kept them out for the majority of the previous season.
After confessing to betting on games, Juventus midfielder Fagioli, who is presently on loan at Fiorentina, was given a seven-month ban, while Tonali of Newcastle was given a harsher suspension of ten months because his wagers also involved the games of his team, AC Milan at the time.
Along with nine other current or past Serie A players, Leeds defender Junior Firpo, and Fagioli’s former Juventus colleague McKennie, the two are also named in the latest inquiry.
The other players’ identities surfaced from Tonali and Fagioli’s depositions and device analysis, but there is no proof that they actually wagered on football matches.
The participants are under investigation for using illicit sites to gamble on other sports and play poker online. As a result, they run the danger of a maximum punishment of €250 ($284) from Italian authorities rather than a ban.
Additionally, Tonali and Fagioli have been charged with spreading the word about those websites to their teammates and fellow football players.
Fagioli said in a deposition: “I pointed out to [former Aston Villa forward Nicolò] Zaniolo illegal sites where he could make online bets, on roulette or poker … the organisers of the sites had told me that they would give me some advantages if I brought other bettors.”