Italian club Lazio have sacked the man responsible for handling the club's eagle mascot after he shared online videos of his prosthetic penis.
Falconer Juan Bernabe has been handling the eagle, called Olimpia, since the 2010-2011 season and flying it over the Italian club's Olympic stadium before matches.
However, Lazio – whose crest is emblazoned with an eagle – parted ways with Bernabe after he shared online photos and videos of his penis on social media after undergoing organ transplant surgery.
Lazio said they were “shocked” by the pictures and that Bernabei had been sacked “with immediate effect”.
The Italian club added that it was aware of “the shared pain that the loss of the Eagle will cause to the fans in the upcoming home matches” but added that “it is impossible to associate our historical symbol with such a person.”
Bernabei defended his decision to release the videos, telling radio station Radio 24 that he was trying to spread awareness of the operation and shared it on his social media, adding that “nudity is normal. I grew up in an open-minded family interested in nudists.”
The 56-year-old was suspended by the club in 2021 for making a fascist salute at the end of the match against Inter Milan.
Bernabei was photographed saluting and chanting “duce, duce”, which translates as “leader, leader” and is commonly associated with former Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
“I did it and I don't regret it because I admire Mussolini,” Bernabei said in 2021. “He did great things for Italy as Franco did for Spain.”