Lazio ultras vow not to attend amid escalating stand-off | OneFootball

Lazio’s turbulent season deepened as the rift between the hierarchy and ultras widened, with organised groups declaring a boycott of the next home match against Genoa on 30 January and urging supporters to stay away from the Stadio Olimpico.

According to The Laziali, the groups invited fellow fans to leave the stands empty. Their dispute with president Claudio Lotito stretches back years, and protests have intensified since the start of the season.

In June the club received a transfer ban that stopped summer reinforcements for Maurizio Sarri’s squad. The market has since reopened, but Lotito and Angelo Fabiani have sold major assets and brought in cheaper replacements, which has dismayed Sarri.

The club then issued an official note on its website condemning the boycott, arguing it was a serious and unacceptable attempt at organised pressure on the club, the team and the wider Lazio community.

The ultras responded with their own statement, calling protest a constitutional right and describing the club’s message as threatening and offensive, citing Article 21. They insisted they do not plan to abandon the stadium permanently, but consider it their duty not to attend the Genoa fixture.

They said each supporter should act according to conscience, and those staying out would gather from six pm at Ponte Milvio to listen to commentary together and back Lazio in their own way.

Source: The Laziali