Galatasaray director Erdem Timur has revealed that the ongoing Nicolo Zaniolo could harm the club and that they and Aston Villa are waiting for a decision on what will happen to the winger following the betting scandal allegations.

More than 40 Italian players, including Premier League duo Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo, are suspected of being involved in an alleged betting scandal.

Tonali and Zaniolo have been released from international duty and their phones and devices have been confiscated. They are the first two players to be named in the investigation, but it is believed that many more are involved.

The exact nature of the allegations is not yet clear, but it is understood that the players are suspected of placing bets on their own matches. This is a serious breach of Italian football rules and could result in worldwide suspensions of up to three years.

Tonali and Zaniolo are both claiming that they did not bet on matches involving their own teams. Tonali says that he only played online games such as poker and blackjack, while Zaniolo’s lawyer says that he may have played card games on illegal online platforms without knowing that they were illegal.

Timur said: “According to the result, Zaniolo’s situation may be harmful to us. We talked to the player and his agent. They assure us this did not happen and that he was only playing blackjack; this also has a penalty of 150 thousand euros.

“We believe in Zaniolo’s statement. Aston Villa is also waiting for the decision for Zaniolo. According to the result, we will take action.”

Both players are now back with their clubs and are due to discuss the issue with club chiefs. It is possible that they could be suspended by their clubs, even if they are not found guilty of any wrongdoing.

The investigation is ongoing and it is not yet clear how many more players will be caught up in it. However, it is clear that this is a serious scandal that could have a major impact on Italian football.