Very harsh stance taken by the Lazio regarding the travel ban for its fans imposed by the Dutch public security authorities. This is the note from the Biancoceleste club:
SS Lazio SpA has notified the Mayor of Amsterdam and the President of UEFA the following communication:
“We refer to the tender in question indicated and to the note sent by the Mayor of Amsterdam yesterday 26/11/2024.
We formally write to contest and condemn the disturbing letter signed by the Mayor of Amsterdam which damages the honor and image of the community we represent.
While we understand the particular situation in which the Netherlands finds itself, a nation victim of intolerable violence perpetrated during the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, we are obliged to react to the equally intolerable stance taken by the Dutch authorities.
The letter sent to us yesterday 26/11/2024 is characterized by discriminatory and offensive contents which hide a substantial difficulty of the local authorities in counteracting and stemming phenomena of intolerance which have nothing to do with the society we represent. This circumstance is aggravated by the full publication of the private note (www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/college/burgemeester/persberichten/wedstrijd-ajax-lazio-12-december/) which is generating various reactions in our local community which asks responses and reactions.
Among other things, we represent that the President of the Management Board, as well as the owner of the club, is a Senator of the Italian Republic with important institutional roles among which the role of Group Leader of the Extraordinary Commission against racism, anti-Semitism, incitement to hatred and violence stands out (so-called Secret Commission); Prof. Mario Venezia, President of the Shoah Museum Foundation in Rome, is present on the Supervisory Board of SS Lazio; Prof. Alberto Gambino, member of the European Commission against racism and intolerance (ECRI), is also part of the bodies of SS Lazio.
The above is to highlight how the Company’s indicative policy has always been aimed at repudiating every form of racism through its institutional bodies that fight against intolerance in various national and European locations.
Please know that SS Lazio SpA will implement every action aimed at safeguarding the image of the club which, we remember, is listed on the Italian Stock Exchange and is susceptible to obvious damage, including material and economic damage, resulting from the reckless letter of 26/11/ 2024.
Indeed, the public statement that “Supporters of SS Lazio regularly behave in an intolerable manner in Europe, not hesitating to commit crimes. In the last two years there have also been several riots and clashes in the Netherlands, ahead of the matches against the teams AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente, in which SS Lazio supporters were involved. To tame or prevent the disturbance of public order, a significant deployment of police forces, the creation of risk areas to maintain security and the issuing of special ordinances to deal with the emergency were necessary. In Amsterdam the situation would be no different.” it is not corroborated by the facts, but highlights a generic carelessness in the management of the current controversy and a poor knowledge of the operational theatre. It is worth highlighting that, last month, during the match between FC Twente and SS Lazio played in the City of Enschede, two episodes of very serious media and substantial importance occurred. UEFA had to apply a disciplinary and financial sanction, resulting in the closure of the Twente stadium, for the behavior of local supporters towards Lazio players who were subjected to racial discrimination. Just as completely unjustifiable was the treatment reserved for the Italian fans present in the city who were segregated inside the city hotels both the night before the match and the night after the event itself, without any prior communication. Families and groups of supporters deprived of their freedom in the name of maintaining an apparent security of the city’s infrastructures (?!). Episodes of absolute gravity which demonstrate the critical issues affecting Dutch society and the authorities called upon to manage public order. Our reaction was of clear support towards the Dutch club FC Twente, even with the exchange of private correspondence, in order to forge alliances and relationships aimed at combating and preventing phenomena such as those increasingly perpetrated in the Netherlands.
The measures implemented by the Dutch authorities do not respond to the most basic legal concepts applicable within the European Union and show, once again, the inadequate organization in terms of safety & security that every civilized nation is called upon to implement where it is foreseen the participation of private clubs or associations in international competitions such as the UEFA Europa League.
UEFA itself imposes severe and detailed structural obligations on clubs, translatable into clear economic efforts, aimed at normalizing, standardizing and managing football events which, in themselves, bring with them far-reaching critical issues and complexities. We are convinced that only through the integration and preparation of suitable structural measures can we address the challenges associated with sporting events and the resonance they generate. The key is certainly not segregation, prohibition or, as in the case you badly managed, the insult to the dignity of communities.
The late action taken by the authorities entails the obligation on them to compensate the Lazio fans who organised, in time and according to the directives given by the club hosting the event, to attend the event. First of all, it is clear that the same authorities will have to take responsibility, directly or through commercial channels, for the repayment of the sums withheld by city hotels for the rental of rooms and indemnify the fans for the consequent failure to occupy the same structures.
It is also necessary to communicate with the airlines that fly to Amsterdam so that the sums paid by the Lazio supporters are returned.
The damage caused will be quantified and forwarded to the competent authorities considering that, beyond the cost of the stadium ticket, around three thousand fans purchased flights and rented hotel rooms in the Dutch capital. It is therefore necessary to create a contact point where refund requests from Lazio fans can be collected, which must be promptly accepted and receipted.
For our part, we will implement all the necessary actions to ensure that Lazio fans do not travel to Amsterdam and thus reduce the potential risk of accidents which, in light of the untimely decision of the Public Authority, risks being strengthened and multiplied.
We cannot exclude that groups of fans, organized or otherwise, decide to leave for Amsterdam and, for them, we demand adequate welcome and dignified treatment in the city streets.
The late decision inevitably brings with it consequences, even of a sporting nature, which will affect the football match. Let’s remember that two of the most successful teams in the UEFA Europa League competition face each other, with much of their future path at stake in the match in question. In addition to the damage to the image that affects an event which, by its very nature, exalts and includes all sports communities that base their activity not on top-level economic sports business, but on the culture of training and territorial integration.
We therefore ask you to indicate to us the methods with which you intend to start the information exchange process, as well as the methods of reimbursement of the sums paid by the Lazio fans, no later than five days from receipt of this letter. Failing this, we will be forced to activate appropriate compensation actions in the offices deemed competent.”
SS Lazio SpA
The President of the Management Board
Dr. Claudio Lotito