“Away from the National Team those who bet”. This is the position of the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, who spoke on the issue in an interview with Il Messaggero paper. For the minister, representing Italy on the field “must not only be a matter of technical talent, but also of moral behavior, which must even precede sporting merit”. “It is not enough to throw the ball in,” Abodi said. "If you fail to follow exemplary rules, you have to go beyond the sanction. The call-up to the national team must be an all-round reward". A stance that also looks to the future of young athletes involved in betting-related affairs. “It's not a matter of saying they can no longer play sports,” he clarified, "but to practice it in another way. Plea bargaining implies an assumption of responsibility, and I think it is also useful to provide a path of rehabilitation through social services. These guys need to know life a little better”.