Italy’s sports minister has cast doubt on the resumption of Serie A leaving title-chasing SS Lazio fearing that history could repeat itself and deny them the scudetto for the second time.
However, with Serie A president Claudio Lotito as the main driving force, the Roman club are determined that the top Italian soccer league would resume despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
At stake are a scudetto that Lazio see as being at their fingertips and the fear of reliving a nightmare going back 105 years.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Lazio missed out on the title the only previous time that soccer was suspended in Italy after the country’s entry into World War I in May 1915.
Genoa were awarded the title. Lazio still claim it that should have been shared.
This season Lazio were second in Serie A, just one point behind Juventus when the championship was suspended on March 10.
The club are chasing a third league crown in their 120-year history after 2000 and 1974, the latter a season that had been threatened by a cholera epidemic.
No wonder Lazio are determined to resume this season’s championship despite the coronavirus situation.
Lotito said that it is in the interests of the sport, to avoid “the irreparable damage” and risk of bankruptcy to clubs in all leagues.
“If we stop, it suits me. I’m in the Champions League and I’m saving four months’ salary,” the 62-year-old said.
Simone Inzaghi’s side had been on an unbeaten run in the league going back to September last year. They beat Juventus twice in December last year.
Whether the season resumes or not, the Romans are almost certain to go to the Champions League, but they had hoped for more — the Serie A title and to stand in the way of Juventus winning a ninth straight title.
Inter are third, eight points behind Lazio with Bergamo side Atalanta BC 14 points adrift, with both teams having played a game less.
Lotito’s dogged determination has irritated, with Juventus counterpart Andrea Agnelli, reportedly commenting during a conversation between the two: “You’ve now become an expert virologist.”
Businessman Lotito, who owns two cleaning companies employed by Roman hospitals where people with COVID-19 are treated, also stressed “the immense social importance of football,” adding that “the history of the Romans was made of bread and games.”
When he is not lobbying in favor of a return to the pitch, his closest collaborators are club spokesperson Arturo Diaconale and sports director Igli Tare.
“We must respect the dead and the fans, but even if we are living in a horror film, the championship must resume. Canceling the season would be unfair,” Tare said.
Diaconale hit out at “the hypocrisy of those who want to block the recovery,” while recalling the “old fear,” the trauma of the 1915 scudetto.
However, Lotito remains in favor of a play-off with Juventus should the season be stopped.
The club’s Serie A top scorer, Ciro Immobile, said that the players felt frustrated and “discriminated against” by not being allowed to train while individual athletes could.
“I don’t want to get back out there because Lazio are second in the table and I’m the top scorer, but because I miss doing what I love and my job,” Immobile said.
“I am not trying to stir up trouble, I just ask for some clarity as a citizen of Italy. We just want to get back to doing our jobs,” he said.
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