Lazio legend Giorgio Chinaglia’s body arrived in Italy today, where he’ll be buried next to Coach Tommaso Maestrelli.
Lazio legend Giorgio Chinaglia’s body arrived in Italy today, where he’ll be buried next to Coach Tommaso Maestrelli.
The striker and fan favourite was crucial in Lazio’s 1974 Scudetto triumph and wanted to rest in Rome, but a series of red tape issues held his body after his death in Florida in April 2012.
This morning ‘Long John’ was flown in on an Alitalia plane from Boston, accompanied by wife Connie and children George, Cynthia and Stephanie.
Former Lazio teammates Pino Wilson and Gianfranco Oddi were there to greet them at the airport at dawn. His coffin was draped in a large Lazio flag.
The public will be able to salute Chinaglia in a memorial service at the Chiesa del Cristo Re in Viale Mazzini tomorrow, then he will be buried in the Maestrelli family crypt.
“I am very happy to be here, as finally my father can rest in peace,” said George Chinaglia to LaLazioSiamoNoi.