- "I started playing online, and betting, out of boredom: I played from two in the afternoon to the evening, I had nothing to do. I started this way, then it became a real illness."
The newspapers Corriere della Sera and La Stampa report the words of Nicolò Fagioli, the 23-year-old Juventus player who is serving his disqualification for the football betting case, reporting on a public outing by the footballer in Condove (Turin), where in a small cinema spoke in front of dozens of kids from the area's sports clubs, football, basketball and volleyball, as part of his rehabilitation programme.
"At first I didn't think I would face criminal consequences and disqualifications - he explains - then I realised.
But when I played that fear disappeared, the adrenaline of gambling took everything away. It all started with a simple betting slip , at 16 with friends: we did it once a week. Then you lose money and hide it from your parents. And it becomes an illness. I play often, or padel.
I play sports, I spend time with friends and family, much more than before. And this helps me."
"I hope to return on May 25th, with Monza" is his wish as a Juventus player.
He advised the boys: "I ended up playing 12 hours a day, always with my cell phone in my hand, I didn't consider my family and my girlfriend. I was different. Maybe I understood too late that it was an illness, but you don't even begin to play and cultivate your dreams".
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