Lazio deprived of its eagle symbol: the Roman club on Monday terminated the contract of the falconer who, before each home match, flies an eagle above the pitch and the stands of the Olympic Stadium, for showing his genitals on social networks.
“Lazio, shocked to see the images and video of Juan Bernabè and to read the statements which accompany them, announces that it has ceased, with immediate effect, all relations with him, given the seriousness of his behavior”, indicated the club, currently 4th in the Italian championship, eleven points behind the leader, Naples.
“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, to even more so 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,” the text continues.
Bernarbè, a muscular 56-year-old Spaniard, created controversy by publishing images on his social networks showing his genitals after a surgeon installed a penile implant on Saturday to improve his sex life.
“There is nothing wrong with doing this (…) I think it is a solution that all men should study, having sexuality feels good,” he wrote in particular.
Bernarbè was with his eagle, called Olimpia, in charge of hosting Lazio pre-matches since the 2010-2011 season.
He had already made a name for himself in 2021 for having made, after a championship match, a fascist salute and shouting “Duce, Duce” in the direction of the stands occupied by Lazio ultras, some of whom do not hide their admiration and nostalgia for Benito Mussolini and the fascist regime.
Lazio then suspended him.
Before the announcement of the termination of his contract by Lazio on Monday, Bernarbè defended himself on the local station Radio24 by 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 talking about 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.”
