Nicolo Fagioli has been included in Italy’s provisional squad for the European Championship despite having only just returned from a seven-month ban for betting violations.
Luciano Spalletti named 30 men on Thursday for Italy’s defense of its title.
Fagioli was suspended in October and also had to undergo treatment for a gambling addiction. The Juventus midfielder made his return as a substitute on Monday in a 3-3 draw against Bologna.
Fagioli played in six of Juventus’ eight Serie A matches before the ban and is considered one of Italy’s top young midfielders.
He made one appearance for Italy, in November 2022 as a late substitute in a win over Albania.
Nicolo Fagioli has been included in Italy’s training squad for the Euros just days after returning from a seven-month ban for betting violations
Gianluca Scamacca has also been included in the squad after winning the Europa League with Atalanta
However, there was no space for Fagioli’s Juventus teammate Manuel Locatelli, one of the Euro 2020 champions.
Riccardo Calafiori has been summoned by Italy for the first time after Bologna’s impressive season. The defender helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League for the first time in its history.
Torino defender Raoul Bellanova and Hellas Verona midfielder Michael Folorunsho have also been included after being called up for the first time for the friendlies in March.
Italy forward Gianluca Scamacca – fresh from Atalanta’s stunning Europa League triumph – has been recalled after his impressive return to form since he was dropped for those friendly matches.
Ciro Immobile was left out. The 34-year-old had been Italy’s go-to man at center forward for years but has never performed as well with the national team as he has at Lazio.
Four players will need to be cut from the squad by June 6. The Euros kick off in Germany on June 14.
Italy starts its title defense against Albania in Dortmund the following day. Spain and Croatia are also in Group B.
Before departing for Germany, Italy plays warmup matches against Turkey on June 4 and Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later.
Luciano Spalletti will need to cut four players from his 30-man provisional list for the Euros
Ciro Immobile has been excluded from the set-up after years as Italy’s go-to striker