(Reuters) – Lazio have parted ways with their falconer, the Serie A club said on Monday, after local media reported that he had shared images of his penile implant on social media.
Juan Bernabe, the man in charge of flying the club’s eagle mascot before kickoff, was let go after Lazio became aware of the photographs and videos on his social media accounts.
Reuters has attempted to contact Bernabe for comment.
Bernabe is the instructor of Olympia, a white-headed eagle Lazio adopted in 2010. Olympia’s flight over Rome’s Olympic Stadium before matches has become a symbolic moment for fans.
The club said in a statement that they recognised supporters would be disappointed at the eagle’s absence from home games.
“The club is aware of the pain the absence of the eagle will cause the fans but it has become impossible to associate our historical symbol with such (an) individual,” Lazio said.
Bernabe was in 2021 suspended by Lazio after he was filmed at the stadium cheering for Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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