Morata refutes claims
The captain of the Spanish national soccer team Alvaro Morata has denied any involvement in a Rolex resale scheme linked to an Italian soccer betting scandal.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Nicolo Fagioli, the Italian soccer star at the heart of an illegal betting scandal, alleged Morata supplied the luxury watches to help him pay off his gambling debts.
Morata gets me the Rolex watches for way less”
The news emerging Wednesday results from a new investigation by Milan prosecutors into illegal online betting. The fresh probe reportedly revealed a message from Fagioli in which he stated: “Álvaro Morata gets me the Rolex watches for way less, and then he sells them. I’ve been doing this business with him for a year now.”
The Galatasaray striker and Spain captain took to social media in strong denial, stating “I have nothing to do with any of this — please don’t spread fake news or lies.”
New wave of scandals
While the fresh probe is looking at poker and non-soccer betting, it was triggered by the 2023 testimonies of Fagioli and Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, who have since served bans for their roles in illegal online sports betting.
The Fagioli, Tonali evidence is, however, spawning fresh scandals, with USMNT and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie among 13 soccer players now under investigation for illegal online betting.
From the new probe, news emerged last week of former Italy midfield legend Andrea Pirlo shuttering his son’s bank account after learning he’d racked up huge illegal online gambling debts.
But the Rolex accusation leveled at Morata has the potential to tarnish his reputation and threaten his captaincy of the Spanish team.
a way of paying off his reported €1.5m betting debt
According to the Gazzetta, Fagioli allegedly borrowed money from multiple close friends to establish a high-end watch resale business supplied by Morata, as a way of paying off his reported €1.5m ($1.7m) betting debt.
Morata denies all involvement in the Rolex scheme. “The only way I’ve helped Fagioli over the years is by giving him advice about his career, as a friend and someone with more experience.”
Strong denials
The Spain icon also reportedly denied any knowledge of Fagioli’s troubles with the law, stating: “I’ve never known anything about his situation.”
Morata said while he cared about his former Juve teammate and hoped “he can sort things out soon” he doubled down on his innocence.
“Let me be clear: I deny all the claims because they’re FALSE.”
