The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has announced that Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo have been sent back to their respective club teams after being questioned by police over gambling.

Police were at the Coverciano national training center near Florence on Thursday to question Zaniolo and Tonali, who play in England for Aston Villa and Newcastle, respectively.

Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagiolo has also been investigated for potentially betting on soccer using illegal platforms.

In a statement, the FIGC said that Zaniolo and Tonali were being sent back to their clubs because they were not in the right frame of mind for upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and England.

“The Federation announces that, in the late afternoon of today, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Turin has notified investigative acts to footballers Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo, currently meeting with the national team at the Federal Technical Center of Coverciano,” the statement said.

“Regardless of the allegations, we believe in this situation the players are not in the necessary condition to face the commitments scheduled in the next days. The Federation has decided, also to protect them, to allow them to return to their respective clubs.”

Dillinger News has alleged that Zaniolo bet on a Coppa Italia match involving Roma during his spell at the Italian capital club. The 24-year-old moved to Galatasaray in February of this year before joining Villa on loan just a few months later.

Tonali joined Newcastle this summer in a £52 million move from AC Milan.