It's probably the parenthesis “the most absurd and grotesque” of the history of Lazio Rome, as deplored Thursday by the prestigious Italian general daily The Corriere della Sera. A tragicomic story that ended up going beyond the borders of the Boot, to the point of even landing in the United States, where the New York Times did not hesitate to take up the matter. We could even cite Spanish, German or even British media. But the list would be far too long.
This story, which went viral in the space of a few hours on social networks, is that of Juan Bernabe, a muscular 56-year-old Spaniard. His job? Since the 2010-2011 season, he has been the falconer of Lazio Rome, responsible for flying his eagle, named Olimpia, during the Roman club's pre-matches. Until then, nothing too crazy, although the latter had already been talked about in 2021 for having made, after a championship match, a fascist salute and shouted “Duce, Duce” in the direction of the stands occupied by ultras of Lazio, some of whom do not hide their admiration and nostalgia for Benito Mussolini and the fascist regime. Lazio then suspended him. But it was last Saturday that everything changed.
Bernabè then underwent an operation to have a penile implant installed, in particular to improve her sex life. In the process, he decides to share his story… and his most intimate photos. Including those of his gender on social networks. “There is nothing wrong with doing this (…) I think it is a solution that all men should study, having sexuality feels good“, he believes.
Fired immediately
The controversy did not take long to erupt. Informed, Lazio quickly published a press release to disassociate itself. “Lazio, shocked to see the images and video of Juan Bernabe and to read the accompanying statements, announces that it has ceased, with immediate effect, all relations with him, given the seriousness of his behavior“, we can read there. “The club is aware of the pain, which it shares, that the loss of the eagle will cause its supporters during the next home matches, but it considers that it is not possible to be associated, especially more when it comes to the historical symbol of the eagle, to a person who, on his own initiative, made the continuation of the relationship impossible“, continues the Roman club. Out of it, Claudio Lotito, president of Lazio and a real character in the world of Calcio, explodes. Behind the scenes, the one who is also a senator multiplies the calls to his numerous advisors and lawyers. For him , it is clear: Bernarbe must be fired and quickly.
“It's been 67 years since I missed a mass, I have always had impeccable behavior, I fight for change and moralization, and you behave in this way?he blurted. He had worked with us for 15 years, I fired him within an hour. I'm not afraid of anyone. Even the surgeon? Even the surgeon. At the speed of light.” But his anger does not subside. He points out that his club is listed on the stock exchange, and has very little interest in the fact that the affair is taking on an international dimension. “What are we going to pass for?“, he says indignantly behind the scenes. For his part, the falconer, who quickly understands his mistake, asks his president for forgiveness. In vain.
It's better to have a fascist salute
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Interviewed Wednesday evening in the famous radio show The Mosquitoknown for his outspokenness and his rather crude language, Lotito even adds a layer. “It's a moral problemhe regrets. He’s someone who went to schools, oh! I don't care if he had surgery. Nobody disputes that, but you can't associate that with Lazio. Is that better than a Roman salute? I don't agree, maybe with you (to the journalist, editor's note), but not with me! We had a contract, with an ethical code. If you don't respect it, even partially, you are immediately fired. There are rules that apply to everyone, including me. They took the opportunity to advertise themselves, the clinic has had a flood of requests since… This is Lazio! We are not here to talk about the Cicciolina (a famous Italian pornographic film actress, singer and politician, editor's note)where are we? If you're a falconer, you're not going to say here and there that you need to ejaculate twice a day. There was even a very harsh statement from the ultras, who are also fathers of families. There is no forgiveness possible. We are talking about a voluntary act. This affair went around the world… I have been working for 20 years to improve the image of the club, my wife is president of the Federation. Who could be happy with that?”
Before the announcement of the termination of his contract, Bernarbe defended himself on the same local station Radio24, assuring that he “did not regret having published these images“. “I like sex (…) For me, nudity is something normal, because I grew up in a naturist family and with an open mind. I don't understand why this photo is being presented as pornography.“, he explained. Before mentioning Mussolini: “I admire him very much. Being part of Lazio is an honor in every sense of the word, it makes me feel more of a man“. Not really enough to help his case.
But determined to stay within the Roman club, the Spanish falconer took refuge in Formello, the training center, where he has had his quarters for 15 years. It is justified in particular by evoking a still long convalescence, leading to an inability to move in the coming days, supported by a medical certificate. Not really to Lotito's taste, who would like to see him pack up as quickly as possible. “The police came, but I can't move. I have a certificate. I apologize for the problems caused, I was stupid (…) But what I did and showed was only for medical purposes“, he sighed Thursday.
And the surgeon in all this? Gabriele Antonini, who recalled being a consultant and not an employee of the club, cannot be dismissed. But it doesn't matter for the Lazio boss. For him, beyond the contractual situation of the two men (Bernabe would be a service provider not employed by Lazio), the club's ethical code was violated. And he is therefore entitled, according to his statements, to claim compensation for damage to his image. This time, and unlike the fascist salute episode of 2021, pardon will not be granted. “I was able to be lenient in the past, but I did not have the information from the organizations concerned. In this case, I was told categorically what I should do, and what I did“, concluded Claudio Lotito, who has already received several applications from falconers in recent days.
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