Stephan El Shaarawy (30-AS Roma) was accused of participating in illegal gambling by Fabrizio Corona, who exposed the deviations of young Italian players such as Nicolo Pagliari (22-Juventus) and Sandro Tonali (23-Newcastle). After an investigation, he was officially cleared of any wrongdoing.
The Italian edition of the publication (Goal.com) reported on April 21 that “two players involved in Corona’s betting affair have sued him for defamation. El Shaarawy and Nicolo Casale (25-Lazio) have not been charged by the Turin prosecutor’s office” and “Nikola Zalewski (21-AS Roma) has also been notified of the lawsuit, while Federico Gatti (25-Juventus) prefers to focus on the game. There could be more problems for Corona,” the report said.
On April 18, Corona, an Italian columnist, revealed that three other players had participated in illegal gambling after Pazzioli and Tonali. He named El Shaarawy, 스포츠토토Ghatti, and Casale. Corona’s comments prompted Turin prosecutors to open an investigation, but they found no evidence that the players had done anything illegal.
While Corona’s revelations have shaken the Italian soccer world, there have been innocent victims. Corona’s credibility is rapidly diminishing as he claims to have spoken to players about gambling. Zalewski, who was previously named as the fourth player to participate in illegal gambling, was also victimized by the lack of hard evidence.
El Shaarawy took to his social media accounts on Wednesday to say: “I am not a person who likes to reveal myself in public, but what has happened in the last few days crosses any limits. I believe that my manners, judgment and commitment in this sport I love have always been recognized,” he wrote.
“Nevertheless, today, as in the past, I must defend myself as a victim of those who accuse me of doing things I would never do. Don’t judge based on rumors and don’t talk about it by spreading false news without evidence,” he continued. El Shaarawy filed a complaint against Corona, who claimed he was an illegal gambler, with the Milan prosecutor’s office.
AS Roma released an official statement on Tuesday, declaring their full support for El Shaarawy and Zalewski. The club believes the players’ claims that they did not engage in illegal gambling and plans to help them.
Earlier, the coronavirus shocked the soccer world when it was revealed that Pazzioli and Tonali had engaged in illegal gambling. While Corona has said that it will reveal more players’ problems with illegal gambling in the future, this is a new development.