As is usually the case with these things, the developing betting case against Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo has all the usual suspects crawling out of the woodwork to have their say.
Earlier this week we covered the claims from Fabrizio Corona, who claimed he had been silenced on the matter and had evidence which could prove the Aston Villa man is guilty.
That’s evidence he is yet to produce, with him claiming that he was blocked from doing so on television by those in charge.
It’s since been explained in Italy that his evidence comes via a man named Maurizio Petra, who is the uncle of Antonio Esposito, the young footballer who allegedly worked as a betting dealer in Rome.
This uncle claims to have audio that his nephew passed to him which recorded many conversations that took place over two years and seemingly implicates a number of footballers, perhaps including the Aston Villa man.
As you’ll know, Zaniolo has maintained consistently that he never bet on football, just poker and blackjack, and is refusing to take a plea deal like Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagioli.
Several reports in Italy have made it clear there is currently no evidence against him but, in an interview with La Verità, relayed by Calciomercato, Petra continues to insist he has evidence otherwise.
“Antonio told me that he was betting for himself and for Nicolo,” he said.
“When I asked him if his friend was stupid enough to bet on Roma, he showed me a chat with Nicolo in which Nicolo invited him to play on an Italian Cup match for the Giallorossi, I don’t remember against whom.
“He sent him the details of the bet and the site and invited him to withdraw the cash with his (Zaniolo’s) ATM. That’s why he also sent him the card pin.”
