Lazio have sacked their falcon caretaker after he bizarrely posted photos of his new prosthetic penis on social media.
Marco Baroni's side currently occupy fourth position in the Serie A standings, but their main concerns are off the football pitch following the bizarre antics of Juan Bernabe.
Bernabe, who was fired from the club in 2021 for making a fascist salute before being hired back years later, had been in charge of controlling Lazio's eagle mascot, which appears at all home games.
However, after he underwent penile prosthesis surgery and shared photos online, the club confirmed that the 56-year-old has been relieved of his duties.
In a statement, the club said: “The SS Lazio, shocked by the photographic and video images of Mr. Juan Bernabé and by the reading of the statements that accompany them, announces that it has interrupted, with immediate effect, all relations with him, given the seriousness of his conduct.
'The Club is aware of the shared pain that the loss of the eagle will cause to fans in the upcoming home games, but believes that it is not possible for everyone, especially the historical symbol of the eagle, to be associated with a person who, with his initiative , made the continuation of the relationship inadmissible.'
Lazio sacked their falcon caretaker after he posted updates on their new penis prosthesis.
Juan Bernabé had been in charge of controlling the eagle – Olimpica – of Lazio before the matches
Bernabé then appeared on the Spanish radio station 'La Zanzara' to give his version of events and insisted that surgery was necessary.
He explained: 'I had surgery to increase my sexual performance because I am very active… I need to ejaculate whenever I have free time. It was a wonderful operation.
'I did it to act like when I was young. My erection is natural but with this device I press a button that allows me to perfectly control both the erection and the time.
'My conscience is clear, I only published it to inform people about the surgery. For me, nudity is normal because I grew up in a naturist family and with an open mind, I don't understand what the relationship between my photo and pornography is,' he explains.
'Everyone likes sex. I don't drink, I don't smoke and I don't take drugs, but I like sex like all men, and men always try to have greater sexual capacity.
'I am a very active man and I live with a partner, but I go out with other women. The woman who is with me knows this because she understands that for me sex is a necessity, she has a very open mind. I would like to have sex once or twice a day.'
Bernabe's dismissal comes as the latest controversy to envelop the falcon's keeper after he was fired for making a fascist salute at a match in 2021.
Responding to the incident at the time, after his rejoining the club, Bernabe denied any wrongdoing.
'I was born in the army, I come from a right-wing culture. “I support VOX like several of my football friends and I am proud of it,” he told Il Messaggero.
—Being from Latium? An honor in every way, it makes me feel more masculine. Mussolini? I admire him a lot.'
In December, Italian football became embroiled in controversy after fans were seen performing the fascist salute after Benito Mussolini's great-grandson scored his first professional goal.
Bernabé photographed holding the eagle before a Lazio training session in front of his fans.
Marco Baroni's team is currently fourth in the Serie A standings and fighting to finish in the top four.
Romano Floriani Mussolini, on loan at Serie B side Juve Stabia from Lazio, scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Cesena.
After scoring, Mussolini put his finger to his lips, but fans responded by chanting his name and performing the Roman salute.
The gesture, which involves extending the right arm straight with the palm facing down, is associated with fascism and was frequently performed by Benito Mussolini.
Benito Mussolini, founder and leader of the National Fascist Party, was Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943.