Lazio eagle handler who got sacked for showing penis online locks himself in club’s training ground
The most bizarre story of the season so far has taken another turn as Lazioâs exhibitionist falconer has locked himself inside the clubâs training ground.
Spaniard Juan Bernabe was fired by the Serie A side after showing explicit images of penile prosthesis surgery on Instagram, but heâs not going away quietly.
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Bernabe has been sacked by Lazio, but is pleading with the club’s presidentCredit: GettyRome-based leading Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport report that Bernabe has locked himself in the clubâs Formello training ground and is refusing to leave.
The reason for his protest is that he wants to apologise to club president Claudio Lotito in an effort to keep his job.
There has also been another extraordinary development, the doctor who performed the surgery and posed with Bernabe has also been sacked.
In a statement Gabriele Antonini said: âI have no relationship of dependency with Lazio and therefore it is incomprehensible to me how I could be fired.Â
read more serie a newsâMy role is that of a consultant and I have always operated with the utmost availability and professionalism, dealing with numerous cases relating to patients belonging to the workforce, the Formello staff, the first team and youth team players and the managers.Â
âAll this has always and exclusively occurred without any contractual or economic obligation with the club.Â
âFor this reason I expect a letter of apology from the Lazio sports club of which I am proud to be a fan and an immediate resumption of our collaboration.â
Bernabe, meanwhile, had been working for Lazio since 2010, bringing out the clubâs Canadian golden eagle called Olympia pre-match.
When the reaction to his explicit images first came out he said his critics are âpsychopaths who have problems with themselvesâ adding that he âcomes from a family of nudistsâ.
Now, though, heâs released another statement making a profound apology.
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Bernabe got emotional when talking about his relationship with OlympiaCredit: Getty
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He’s now appealing to president Lotito to let him keep his jobCredit: Getty”What they are saying about me makes no sense,â he began. âI want to apologise as a man for what happened, I am truly sorry and saddened towards the Italian people.Â
âAbove all, for the parents of minors. My goal was different and they must recognise my mistake.Â
âI apologise to the Lazio fans, who have suffered so much because of me. I apologise to the club and to the President of Lazio and to Dr. Cristina Mezzaroma, his wife.Â
âI apologise to the president because he represents Lazio, but not to him personally. I hope that when he speaks to me tomorrow he can take into account that children like Olympia a lot, because Olympia is the symbol of Lazio.Â
âI am the one who matters the least. I did what I could in 15 years at Lazio, now I have ruined everything because of a human error.Â
âI take the consequences because I am a man and I am here to pay. I remain calm about what is going around me, I have two children to raise and what they are saying about me is out of context.Â
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âTalking to friends brings tears to my eyes, it’s a difficult time for me. I don’t understand the people who brutally insult me: they don’t understand that in life you can make mistakes. I made a mistake, please: forgive me!â
Clearly emotional, he then reflected on his career and experience with the eagle.
He continued: âYou cannot imagine what I saw with Olympia. I saw a boy with leaukemia trying to jump to caress the eagle, I saw children cry and so many beautiful words that they said to me, so sometimes it is impossible to contain the tears.Â
âAnd to not give the image of a weak man, I always kept my sunglasses on. I did not want to give the image of weakness, of a man who always cries.Â
âWith sunglasses I meet peace. I just wanted to apologise, even more. Tolerance is the most beautiful thing.â