January 15 – Lazio have fired the person who handled the Italian club’s eagle mascot after he posted photos and videos online of his prosthetic erect penis.
Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with the eagle since the 2010-11 season, flying the bird over the Serie A club’s Stadio Olimpico before matches, posted the explicit footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance.
The images shocked club chiefs, who acted quickly to end his employment. Lazio cited the ‘seriousness’ of his behaviour as they revealed the eagle mascot will not be seen at their next home game.
A club statement read: “SS Lazio Spa, shocked to see the photographic and video images of Mr. Juan Bernabè and to read the statements that accompanied them, announces that it has interrupted, with immediate effect, all relations with this individual, given the seriousness of his behaviour.
“The Company is aware of the pain, shared by all, that the loss of the eagle in the next home games will cause to the fans, but believes that it is not possible to be associated, all of us, and especially with the historical symbol of the eagle, with a subject that, with its initiative, has made the continuation of the relationship inadmissible.”
Bernabe defended his decision to publish the videos, telling radio station Radio24 he was trying to bring awareness to the operation and shared it on his private social media adding that “nudity is normal, I grew up in an open-minded, naturist family”.
The 56-year-old has previous, however, having been suspended by the club in 2021 for performing a fascist salute at the end of a match against Inter Milan. Bernabe was filmed making the salute and chanting ‘duce, duce’, which translates as ‘leader, leader’ and is commonly associated with former fascist Italian leader Benito Mussolini.
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