Repubblica - Lazio: anti-Lotito leaflet uncovered: "Military-style organisation aiming to force the club to change hands"

A picture that echoes patterns already observed in the past and suggests a coordinated campaign. At the heart of the investigation are banners, posters, stickers and a series of repeated pressures, including anonymous phone calls, some of which were threatening in tone. The investigators’ hypothesis is that these actions were aimed at pressuring Lotito to relinquish control of the club or to alter its structure, with possible consequences for the market valuation of a listed club.

As further highlighted by the Rome edition of La Repubblica, investigators from the Rome Investigative Unit have focused their attention on locations believed to be organisational hubs, including the printing works itself, considered one of the centres for producing campaign material against the president. This is a factor that reinforces the idea of a structured, rather than sporadic, campaign. The charges, levelled at at least five people, relate to various acts deemed to be intimidating: death threats circulated on social media, posters, phone calls and emails addressed to Lotito or his associates. The suspects are also alleged to have disseminated false information with the aim of fuelling media and public pressure.

The case bears similarities to events between 2005 and 2006, when the judiciary spoke of an intimidation campaign aimed at forcing Lotito to sell his shares in Lazio. In that case too, convictions were handed down involving prominent figures from the Curva Nord.