The Albany Gazette - Lazio fire far-right falconer after online penis posting

Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010/11 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance.

Lazio said that they had "terminated, with immediate effect" their relationship with Bernabe "due to the seriousness of his conduct", adding that they were "shocked" by the images.

The Serie A club added that Bernabe's dismissal would mean that fans would be deprived of Olimpia's presence in Lazio's coming home matches, their next being against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on January 23.

"We, and the historic symbol of the eagle, can no longer be associated with a person who with his behaviour has made the continuation of any relationship impossible," added Lazio.

Bernabe defended the decision to publish the images by saying in an interview with radio station Radio24 that "nudity is normal, I grew up in an open-minded, naturist family".

The 56-year-old Spaniard has previously been in hot water over his openly hard-right politics, and was suspended by Lazio in 2021 for performing a fascist salute at the end of a match with Inter Milan.

He was filmed by fans at Rome's Stadio Olimpico making the gesture and chanting "Duce, Duce" while holding Olimpia and dressed in full Lazio kit.

Bernabe then told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that he was "proud" to be a supporter of far-right Spanish political party Vox "like many footballer friends of mine".

He confirmed that he had performed the chants in favour of Mussolini, who founded the National Fascist Party and ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 before being killed near Lake Como by Italian partisans in 1945.

"I did it and I don't regret it because I admire Mussolini, he did great things for Italy as Franco did for Spain," he said in the same interview.

"I admire both of them and I'm proud of it."

Far-right fan groups are common across Italy but Lazio's hardcore supporters have a connection to the extreme right which stretches back to at least the 1970s.

(A.Moore--TAG)