Rome, 15 Sept. (LaPresse) – The Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the hypothesis of a coordinated strategy to fuel protests by Lazio supporters and, at the same time, to affect the club’s value and pressure Claudio Lotito into selling his controlling stake. As part of this investigation, the Carabinieri’s Investigative Unit today carried out searches at the homes of Mauro Masi, chairman of Banca del Fucino, managing director Francesco Maiolini and Luigi Bisignani. The investigation stems from complaints lodged by Lotito between June and July 2025, when the Lazio president reported a series of incidents which, according to his account, were part of an organised campaign to damage his reputation and create the conditions for a sale of Lazio. Among the details provided to the investigators were the banners that appeared last summer in Piazza del Parlamento, in front of the Chamber of Deputies, and in Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, bearing the slogan ‘Lotito, free Lazio’. In his complaints, the Lazio chairman also reported that he had been the target for about a year of a smear campaign aimed at damaging his reputation and forcing him to relinquish ownership of the club. This campaign, according to the complaint, was also accompanied by threatening behaviour and ‘constant phone calls, received at all hours’. The material handed over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office also includes offensive messages and content circulated via social media and email. The case is linked to the protest by a section of Lazio’s supporters, which has now been ongoing for months. Even during the current season, dissent towards the club’s management has resulted in some supporters failing to attend home matches at the Olimpico, whilst the team’s following remains particularly strong for away matches.
The Lotito Case: Public Prosecutor’s Office investigates strategy to fuel protests by Lazio supporters
Rome, 15 Sept. (LaPresse) – The Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the hypothesis of a coordinated strategy to fuel protests by Lazio supporters and, at the same time, to affect the club’s value and pressure Claudio Lotito into selling his controlling stake. As part of this investigation, the Carabinieri’s Investigative Unit today carried out searches at the homes of Mauro Masi, chairman of Banca del Fucino, managing director Francesco Maiolini and Luigi Bisignani. The investigation stems from complaints lodged by Lotito between June and July 2025, when the Lazio president reported a series of incidents which, according to his account, were part of an organised campaign to damage his reputation and create the conditions for a sale of Lazio. Among the details provided to the investigators were the banners that appeared last summer in Piazza del Parlamento, in front of the Chamber of Deputies, and in Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, bearing the slogan ‘Lotito, free Lazio’. In his complaints, the Lazio chairman also reported that he had been the target for about a year of a smear campaign aimed at damaging his reputation and forcing him to relinquish ownership of the club. This campaign, according to the complaint, was also accompanied by threatening behaviour and ‘constant phone calls, received at all hours’. The material handed over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office also includes offensive messages and content circulated via social media and email. The case is linked to the protest by a section of Lazio’s supporters, which has now been ongoing for months. Even during the current season, dissent towards the club’s management has resulted in some supporters failing to attend home matches at the Olimpico, whilst the team’s following remains particularly strong for away matches.