Following a fine win away to Champions League-chasing Fiorentina last weekend, Lazio are well and truly in the race for the final Europa League spot currently occupied by Inter. However, this week there has been very little media attention on the Biancoceleste’s domestic aspirations, as once again Ultras-led protests against Claudio Lotito have dominated the headlines.
The ‘Libera la Lazio’ movement has been gathering substantial pace after a powerful demonstration in the last home game against Sassuolo in which over forty thousand laziali marched on the Olimpico to express their feelings about the much-maligned club President.
With another protest set to take place this weekend, on this occasion leaving the stadium empty, I thought it was high time I wrote a piece that sheds some light on one of calcio’s most tiresome, frustrating and seemingly futile struggles: the Lazio Ultras vs. Claudio Lotito.
Lotito took over S.S. Lazio in July 2004 with the club dangerously close to liquidation following the heady, free-spending days of Sergio Cragnotti that brought the Aquile their most successful period; the Scudetto, Cup-Winners Cup, two Coppa Italias, two Supercoppas and the UEFA Super Cup were all brought to Rome in three seasons between 1997 and 2000.
Lotito’s methods of reviving the club that he said “was in a coma” and needed to be “brought back to life” soon caused a bitter rivalry to form between the President and the club’s most powerful fan base, the Ultras. This was due in no small part to his financial prudence, but perhaps the decisive blow was Lotito’s decision to remove the policy of supplying the most influential Ultras group, the ‘Irriducibili’, with eight hundred free tickets for each match. The President also refused to fund the Curva Nord’s choreography, traditionally financed by the club’s hierarchy.
These tensions have only escalated over the nine years that have since passed, in which Lotito rejected a takeover of the club by Lazio legend Giorgio Chinaglia and consistently proved to be incompetent in the transfer market, selling key players and messing up deadline-day deals for stars such as Keisuke Honda and Burak Yilmaz.
Fast-forwarding to this season, relations between the President and the fans have soured further. Lotito fuelled the fire last summer by sending a message to Ultras that “this is my club, it does not belong to everybody, so I will control it the way I see fit. There is no such thing as a professional fan”. To add to this undoubtedly foolish sentiment, club legend and fan favourite Paolo Di Canio then said in December, with coach Vladimir Petkovic under pressure, “Me, coaching Lazio? With Lotito there, never in my life. I don’t like him but that’s no secret.”
Petkovic didn’t last much longer and his sacking only proved to be another PR disaster for Lazio’s president, as a messy legal battle commenced over the nature of the Bosnian’s dismissal. Lotito’s penchant for legal battles has not exactly endeared him to the club faithful, particularly as he prides himself on his tight-fistedness, yet often ends up losing avoidable court battles.
With a history of botched January transfer windows, it was almost inevitable that Hernanes would leave this season, to be replaced by the ‘enigmatic’ Gael Kakuta. ‘Il Profeta’ is a firm fan favourite and his departure sparked a new wave of anti-Lotito demonstrations.
Some went too far. In a scene that seemed completely bizarre even in the context of Italian football – where we have become accustomed to the antics of Massimo Cellino, Maurizio Zamparini and Aurelio De Laurentiis to name a few – Lotito received a threatening phone call from a Lazio fan during a press conference shortly following Hernanes’ departure. The man on the phone told Lotito to leave Lazio and die, and the president went on to tell the gathered press that he receives scores of death threats every day from angry fans.
A club icon like Hernanes departing will always leave a bitter taste, and it was in the backdrop of a disappointing transfer window and stuttering form that over forty thousand fans gathered at the Olimpico on February 23 to raise signs reading ‘Libera la Lazio’, or ‘Free Lazio’.
The President, as usual, responded strongly to the provocation, telling press that he will “never sell Lazio and I will leave the club to my son.” Lotito attempted to defend himself from criticism by pointing to the improvements his tenure at the club has been responsible for, including the creation of a radio and television channel, a full renovation of training facilities, a Scudetto-winning Primavera side, two Coppa Italia triumphs and one Supercoppa.
Predictably though, Lotito’s willingness to react to the protests has only led to further trouble, with another demonstration set to take place on Sunday afternoon against Atalanta. At the time of writing, less than 1500 tickets have been sold for the match as the Ultras attempt to leave the stadium as empty as possible to make their point.
The Curva Nord leaders released a statement in which they explained their reasons for this action, describing it as “an act of love and sacrifice.” They added that “Lotito is not the President of Lazio, he is the one who ruins it.”
The Ultras also sought to explain the long-term goal of the ‘Libera la Lazio’ protest: “Who can help Lazio? Perhaps a partnership to bring back the great Lazio. It may be that what we end up with will be worse than Lotito, but the atmosphere he has created round the club is unprecedented. The fans are dreamers, but we are deprived the opportunity to dream.”
It seems a shame that almost no attention is being paid to what may happen on the pitch, as with the business end of the season ahead the Aquile still look a decent bet to make a surge up the table. With crucial ties against the sides around them (Milan, Parma, Verona and Torino at home and Inter away) coming up in the final third of the season, taking three points from a home game against Atalanta is of paramount importance.
Yet the dispute between Claudio Lotito and the Ultras ensures that the eleven players who come out to represent Lazio on Sunday afternoon will be doing so with almost no backing from the stands. Lazali remain relatively divided in their attitude towards Lotito, but those with the strongest hatred for the man will see the off-pitch struggles against him as more important than what actually goes on for ninety minutes on the pitch.
Shortly after Edy Reja has achieved what was arguably Lazio’s result of the season in Florence, his side returned home to an atmosphere of tension and hatred rather than one of support and unity. It is fair to say that the Aquile have had their fair share of ups and downs on the field this season, but it could well be drama off the pitch that destroys any aspirations the club may have of returning to the Europa League next season.
Follow Alasdair Mackenzie on Twitter: @olimpiacalcio
