Claudio Lotito owned Salernitana for more than a decade but it’ll be an unhappy return to Salerno tomorrow for the Lazio president.
The Italian business purchased the Campania side after they were sent down to Serie D in July 2011 following bankruptcy and over the years he invested an estimated €42m into the club, guiding them to Serie A last year.
Current FIGC rules state that an individual is not allowed to own two clubs in the same division, forcing Lotito to sell Salernitana before the December 31 2021 deadline. He waited until the last minute to find a buyer, and eventually received €10m after local businessman Danilo Iervolino purchased the club.
Lotito was furious at this; he had hoped to make around €70m from the sale of the Campania side and he’s accused the trustees in charge of the sale of turning down more lucrative offers. His investments into the club, for now, have not paid off.
Tomorrow will be Lotito’s first time returning to the Stadio Arechi since the club was sold last month, and it won’t be a positive one for the Italian businessman, who also angered the club’s fans with his behaviour over the last six months.
One upside of Salernitana’s sale is that Lotito can now fully focus his efforts onto Lazio and Maurizio Sarri’s project. The Biancocelesti president is totally invested into the Italian coach’s project and he wants to extend his contract until 2025 as a sign of faith. Lotito has also promised to sign multiple reinforcements in this month’s transfer window.
Lazio cannot afford to drop points to Campania side tomorrow if they want to stay involved in the race for a European spot. A loss wouldn’t only be disastrous for their position in the league table, but also incredibly bitter for Lotito, who lost millions on the Salernitana project.