Claudio Ranieri may face a Football Association investigation after TV cameras caught him devouring a full meal during Leicester’s 2-1 defeat to Sevilla.
The Italian tactician was pictured picking at an antipasto misto early in the second half before moving on to pappardelle with ragu and suckling pig porchetta with braised fennel.
The news is set to cause controversy because bookmakers reported an unusual number of bets on Ranieri tucking into a hearty Emilia-Romagna inspired feast during the 90 minutes.
“We’d usually expect to take around £1,000 from isolated novelty punts on Ranieri to order some tapas for a midweek Spanish game, but these betting patterns were quite out of the ordinary,” an anonymous bookmaker told FourFourTwo.
“We were seeing some serious action from around the world on very specific dishes with some even adding that he would accept only a light dusting of parmesan on his pasta, which, of course, he did.
“I have to admit my heart sank when the cameras showed Claudio clearly ordering amaretti and vin santo in the 85th minute. That alone cost us over £500,000.”
Despite concerns over the integrity of the bets, many punters insist that although Ranieri has never been seen to eat during any match in his 30-year managerial career, the clues were there.
“It’s pretty clear that a man like Claudio would appreciate hearty, provincial Italian cooking. It’s not like I predicted him to order a Thai green curry - now that would be suspicious,” one punter told FourFourTwo.
“Sadly my accumulator had Ranieri to wash it all down with a rustic Nero d’Avola and you could clearly see he plumped for a quaffable Montepulciano recommended by the fourth official. That’s how the bookies get you.”
Please note: This satirical story is not real. Obviously.
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