Lazio’s spokesman says they’re doing “everything possible” to stop racist and anti-Semitic behaviour, but “there’s a prejudice” against the club.
The Biancocelesti Ultras were moved to Roma’s Curva Sud for the weekend win over Cagliari, after their own Curva Nord was closed for racist chanting.
After the match anti-Semitic and homophobic messages were found, as well as stickers of Anne Frank wearing a Roma shirt.
Lazio’s spokesman says they’re doing “everything possible” to stop racist and anti-Semitic behaviour, but “there’s a prejudice” against the club.
The Biancocelesti Ultras were moved to Roma’s Curva Sud for the weekend win over Cagliari, after their own Curva Nord was closed for racist chanting.
After the match anti-Semitic and homophobic messages were found, as well as stickers of Anne Frank wearing a Roma shirt.
“I believe Lazio’s directors are doing everything possible right now,” Arturo Diaconale said on Radio Incontro Olympia.
“They immediately condemned this, and today are showing solidarity with the Jewish community with a symbolic gesture [attending a synagogue].
“We can go to the court with evidence of something that could happen in the next few days, that’s something that has to be very well-prepared because we don’t have an investigative structure.
“To create this dossier of evidence I also call on the fans, they can send us materials through the official Biancocelesti website.
“This dossier will act to demonstrate that the assumption that only Lazio have anti-Semitics is totally wrong. Collective responsibility is the fruit of a totalitarian culture.
“There’s an anti-Lazio prejudice which resurfaces every now and then, maybe even with the aim of hurting our current sporting growth.
“Lazio is the only club to have condemned ultranationalism. [President Claudio] Lotito has managed, despite paying with negative consequences, to take action against the most fringe supporters and contain their tone and behaviours.
“Lazio’s fanbase is one of the best in Serie A and Serie B.
“There have been no incidents which can be attributed to Biancocelesti from time immemorial, no banners, shouts and super-offensive behaviour can be remembered, unless you want to count the monkey chants at two Sassuolo players as the behaviour of a whole stadium.
“The club will naturally defend itself and its fans. The responsibility for a ridiculous few can’t fall on the fans as a whole, there’s an attempt here to criminalise all the fans.”
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“No-one would say no if that’s a collective decision, but Renzi should think about his own problems and leave this easy rhetoric.
“Lazio has worked hard to contain extremists, the anti-Semitism of the left is always justified and on the right it’s always condemned. We find ourselves in front of a paradox of words.
“Instead we should be against this in any form. There’s definitely an attempt to make us scapegoats. We’re talking about isolated cases, isolated from these fans.”