Lazio sacks the doctor who performed the penis operation on the far-right Falconer: the club owner

Lazio on Tuesday sacked the club doctor responsible for performing penile surgery on the fascist sympathizer Falcon, who was fired the day before the results of the operation were published online. Speaking to reporters outside the Italian parliament building in Rome, 67-year-old senator and Lazio owner Claudio Lotito said Gabriele Antonini had been fired “with the speed of light” after he appeared in controversial photos and videos posted on social media by Juan Bernabei. . Spaniard Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio’s home matches with the club’s mascot Olimpia the eagle since 2010, caused a scandal when he published pictures of his erect penis after undergoing surgery.

Antonini Bernabei went under the knife on Saturday to have a penile prosthetic implanted designed to improve the 56-year-old man’s sexual performance.

He added, “I have not missed Mass even once in 67 years. I am behaving in a way that cannot be blamed in every sense of the word. I am fighting for change and morality, and you are behaving in this way?” Lotito said about Burnaby, according to news agency AGI.

“He was with us for 15 years, but I fired him within an hour because I wasn’t answering to anyone.”

Lotito said the pair were sacked for violating “Lazio’s code of ethics, which requires behavior that reflects the true values ​​of the sport.”

He added that Bernabei’s dismissal means that Olimpia will no longer fly high around the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, because the eagle’s presence is “linked to this person.”

“I acquired the eagle mascot to generate enthusiasm and passion among child supporters, but the person who took care of this eagle acted in an ethically poor manner,” he said.

Lotito and Lazio took a less hard-line stance on Bernabei in 2021 when he was briefly suspended for making a fascist salute at the end of a match with Serie A rivals Inter Milan.

Bernabei were filmed by fans making a powerful gesture and chanting “Duce, Duce” while carrying Olimpia and wearing full Lazio kit.

He then told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that he was “proud” to be a supporter of the far-right Spanish political party Vox and that he admired dictators Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco.

On Tuesday, Lotito downplayed the incident, saying vaguely that he was making “professional judgements” and describing the fascist Burnaby salute as “a bit of exaggerated behaviour”.

Lazio has long been known for its association with the far right in Italy, largely due to its hardline fans who have for decades been some of the most notorious fascist supporters in Europe.

Their historic ultras, the “Irriducibili”, had friendly relations with far-right groups across the continent, while fans frequently directed anti-Semitic chants at supporters of their local rival Roma.

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