Lazio: Why do fans boycott matches at the Stadio Olimpico?

The divide between Lazio’s ownership and fans is not a new phenomenon, as fan boycotts of the Olimpico have occurred sporadically over the past decade.

Last season footage of fans praying to God to remove the club president even went viral on social media.

But frustration grew due to the sale of key players and the club’s subsequent decline in the league.

“Fans are boycotting and not coming to matches, but not as bad as this particular moment,” says Basten, who has supported the club for more than 50 years.

After winning the Coppa Italia in 2022 and the Italian Super Cup in 2017 and 2019, and finishing second in the 2022-23 Serie A season, many feel the club is stagnating ahead of a proposed move to a new stadium in 2032.

Fan favorites Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic have all departed and have not been replaced by quality players, with ownership retaining cash.

In January, the club sold last season’s top scorer Tati Castellanos to West Ham, with former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi also departing – bringing tensions among the fanbase to the surface.

The club bought Kenneth Taylor from Ajax, brought in Daniel Maldini on loan and signed striker Petar Ratkov from Red Bull Salzburg, despite Sarri saying he “didn’t know” the Serbian and had not seen him play.

“The fans think that if they don’t go to the stadium, they will force Lotito to leave, and he will have to sell the club,” Bastin says.

“Don’t go to the stadium, show the world that the fan is the leader and must be central to the project.”

“But changing the manager, changing the player, changing the media advisor at the club is easy because you can force it one way or another. Presiding over the club and selling it is a bit more complicated.”