Two days after the protest on Friday 14 June, which saw thousands and thousands of Lazio people demonstrating against Lotito’s management, the Curva Nord has issued an official statement addressed partly to the fans, partly to the club and directly to the club president. Here is the text of the note:
“Only two things count at Lazio: Claudio Lotito and Claudio Lotito.”
Mr. Claudio Lotito personalized the management of SS Lazio by making it a company in his image and likeness, an “object” useful for satisfying his personal needs both economically and in terms of image. His declarations are the result of a strong sense of megalomania that leads to sinister personalism with the aim of canceling 124 years of history, of passion, of Lazio. From here we want to explain and motivate our decisions to continue the protest which on Friday 14 June saw more than 15,000 people take to the streets.
WE WILL NOT LEAVE THE STADIUM EMPTY
Leaving the stadium empty is exactly what Mr. Lotito hopes, canceling the voice of dissent is his aspiration, having no one to oppose him is what he wants. Reading the SS Lazio balance sheet for 2023, the year in which we reached second place in the rankings with a record second round, we see that the revenues from matches are equal to 13 million euros, approximately 10% of the annual revenues which, unfortunately , would not be completely eliminated given that there would certainly be many fans, us first and foremost, who are not willing to abandon their seats in the stadium.
To replace this revenue, the simple sale of a player is enough and the revenues would be the same (sales fee + price saving and related taxes). We will each be present at our seats to leave no room for maneuver!! Leaving the stadium would allow Mr. Lotito to exploit the protest by pointing out the Lazio people to make it a question of attachment, as has already been done in the past, while 40,000 people who demonstrate their dissent every Sunday cannot be exploited, there is no room for maneuver for his imagination.
The stadium must be experienced to pass on love and Lazio spirit to children, cultivate passion in the new generations and continue to provide the usual point of reference to those who have always been at Lazio’s side. As explained in the previous slide, since there is no economic damage in not going to the stadium, we would only harm ourselves.
DO NOT BUY OFFICIAL SS LAZIO MATERIAL
Not purchasing official material puts the current company in the position of not collecting clean revenue and not being able to cover the management costs of shops and material, as well as creating tense relationships with partnerships. This type of protest does not distance the Lazio players from Lazio and the team, only affecting the budget. An action that has no repercussions except on the interests of Mr. Lotito. Starting from the assumption that in recent years, with the exception of a few shirts that replicated others, SS Lazio merchandising has been truly painful, not least the line in collaboration with a costume brand, relying on staff who have nothing Lazio-like about them it means precisely this, that is, producing material unsuitable for the Lazio style.
Mr. Lotito relies on professionals who know our world and not on simple employees who, to make a good impression, copy what the organized fans have done in previous years.
DO NOT SUBSCRIBE OR CANCEL DAZN AND SKY
70 million euros, this is the income from TV rights and the amount just collected by SS Lazio. Not subscribing leads to a different appeal from sponsors and those selling advertising. Lazio must be experienced up close, we advise all fans who are unable to come to the stadium or away to watch the match all together to use fewer connected devices, using restaurants, pubs or at the venue.
MARKETING
We find it surreal and unacceptable that a city like ours, among the most touristic and important in the world, does not have official SS Lazio shops in the most well-known shopping streets of the center. In addition to being a disservice to local Lazio fans, not having any shops in sight does great damage to Lazio’s image. We will propose initiatives to protect the image of our Lazio given that Mr. Lotito chose not to give it any importance.
YOUTH SECTOR
Lazio no longer has fields on Roman territory, all Rome football clubs are affiliated with Roma or with other extra-territorial football clubs.
Children grow up with other coats of arms on their chests instead of that of Lazio and this has a negative effect in terms of growth of future assets, not to mention the lack of Lazio identity which obviously has repercussions on the growth of children.
It is creating a negative gap that no one has ever managed to create before.
WHAT WE ASK FROM MR. LOTITO
After 20 years of provincialism we ask Mr. Lotito to put SS Lazio up for sale, we are tired of floating in the limbo of mediocrity which sees every year a nursery rhyme made up of last minute signings campaign and players who must embrace the “Lazio project”.
Excuse us Mr. Lotito, what would this project be? It is never made explicit, there are no objectives of sporting growth, of investments in the first team, in the youth sector (the last player to leave the youth sector is Cataldi) there is nothing else besides the usual refrain of the accounts in order, of the liquidity index, of the compulsive saving that ends only when Formello has to be renovated (who carries out the work???), because the money is available to build Formello, so that it can be valued (according to him) at 250 million euros. In the space of three months, two coaches resigned, RESIGNED, not sacked, a record for a Serie A team. First Sarri was “taken out”, who we only reproach for not having resigned after the signing campaign was over given his dissatisfaction in the relationship between requests and players obtained, due to a conspiracy within the team, then Tudor who demanded a wholesale change of the squad with 8 sales and 8 purchases. Today it’s Baroni’s turn, with whom we specify that there is no hatred or problem , if not that of an obvious downsizing that no fan appreciated.”
