The President of the Albanian Football Federation admits Elseid Hysaj is ‘worried’ by the insults he received from Lazio ultras, but the majority of fans are standing up against the fascist element.

The controversy erupted when former Napoli defender Hysaj chose to sing ‘Bella Ciao’ for his initiation ceremony, a song that in Italy is an anthem for Partisan rebels who fought against the fascist dictatorship in the 1940s.

This infuriated a section of the Lazio ultras, who put up a banner insulting Hysaj and declaring proudly that ‘Lazio is fascist.’

Another banner appeared today outside the Stadio Olimpico and it was supportive of the player, using the traditional Roman dialect term to cheer him on: ‘Daje Hysaj’

A hashtag #IoStoConHysaj (I Stand With Hysaj) had thousands of tweets, as the majority of supporters are finally taking a stand against the ultras element who have for years self-appointed themselves the ‘real’ fans.

“Real fans don’t do this sort of thing,” Albanian FA President Armand Duka told Radio Kiss Kiss.

“Some have really lost their minds. Elseid joined Lazio to give his contribution and sang an Italian song. It’s just absurd! Hysaj is worried, this is not an easy situation to deal with.

“I am glad he received support from the club, the fans and many players. The world stands with him.”

Hysaj was unaware of the political links of the song, choosing it because it was featured in the Netflix show Money Heist (Casa de Papel).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector