‘To Say Juventus the Evil of Italian Football is Unfair,’ Says Lazio president Lotito
Claudio Lotito, the president of S.S Lazio, has surprisingly defended their rival Italian club, Juventus, amidst their controversial ongoing investigations. He also discussed the future of the midfield star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Serie A giants, Juventus, are currently in turmoil with some legal battles to face due to the false information to the public that four months’ worth of wages had been cut from every player during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In reality, they allegedly paid their players in secret.
This has landed the Italian club in the Turin Public Prosecutor’s office, where an investigation into their usage of falsified capital gains is also in progress. The club is also seemingly at risk of being handed severe penalties, ranging from fines to point deductions.
Lotito had spoken after he had received the Colalucci award, and the first thing he discussed was the star midfielder Milinkovic-Savic’s future with S.S Lazio.
“Contracts are done when they expire. From a technical point of view, we have an interest in renewing him because he is a great player and a great man, I hope that the player will do the same.”
“Appointment on the agenda? What are we doing the transfer market?!? In life everything that begins has an end, starting with life itself.”
“Milinkovic-Savic is a player Lazio are banking on, he is an added value. What’s missing are presidents, we have no problem finding players or coaches. There are only a few Italians left who do it with dedication. Money is not everything in life, ideas count.”
The Biancocelesti president also went further to give his thoughts on the ongoing investigations into the Italian giants, Juventus, and their financial malpractices.
“I’m not a magistrate. Everyone when they win jumps on the bandwagon, then they run away when there’s a problem by running away from the people, they all drank from. For example, there are those who cashed in €160m for two players.”
“Today everyone speaks badly of Juventus, but they have contributed to the livelihood of Italian football. Is there a risk of the investigation widening? I don’t know, I don’t know the behavior of other teams.”
“Surely it won’t expand to involve Lazio, for me that’s a matter of pride and peace of mind. Above all because of the way I started, a dramatic situation.”
He also spoke about his former Juventus counterpart Andrea Agnelli affectionately, who had resigned earlier last week.
“I saw him in the Senate and hugged him. Did I recommend anything? No, no problem. He gave me an unfair impression from a human point of view compared to what he has given to Italian football.”
“To say that Juve are the evil of Italian football is unfair. Today everyone goes out of their way to create dissent against Juventus. Politics is one thing, human value is another. Andrea is a working man.”
“We used to meet at my office at 8am, that means he woke up at 5am, at 6am. I don’t know what they are, I am for values. When one has value, one puts it on the field. Facts count, in life facts count and not words.”
In the end, Lotito gave his thoughts on the condition of the Italian National Team and the struggles of Ciro Immobile, who plays as the striker for Lazio and is also the captain of the Italian national team.
“With Italy out of the World Cup, some people should ask themselves questions and give themselves answers.” “I don’t think it depends on Serie A, it doesn’t mean that there are no quality footballers in Italy. I ask myself questions, how come Immobile became top scorer and Golden Boot winner and in the national team he doesn’t score as much.”
