Lazio top Serie A with empty stands: inside the fan revolt against Claudio Lotito

Lazio go into the international break sharing top spot in Serie A, but their home games are being played in front of vast empty sections. Around 25,000 people turned up at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday for the 2-2 draw with Milan, roughly half the 50,000 who watched the corresponding fixture last season. The reason is not apathy: the biancocelesti support is waging an active boycott against owner Claudio Lotito, choosing to follow the team on the road or from a bar rather than fill their own ground.

• Lazio let a 2-0 lead slip against Milan and had to settle for a draw in a half-empty Olimpico.
• Season ticket sales have dropped from nearly 30,000 to fewer than 4,500, according to Calcio e Finanza.
• Hundreds of fans escorted the team bus to Ponte Milvio before watching the match at home or in pubs.
• Davide Frattesi, signed from Inter, scored in each of his first three league games for Lazio.
• Supporters are protesting against Lotito, an Italian senator who has owned the club for more than two decades.

A silent boycott emptying the Olimpico despite Lazio's strong start

The collapse in season ticket sales shows the scale of the protest. According to Calcio e Finanza, Lazio sold fewer than 4,500 season tickets this year, down from almost 30,000 last season. Against Milan, a loud majority of the crowd was cheering for the visitors. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso summed up the mood with a lament that carried more sadness than anger: "For me, football without fans is shit."

The fans have not walked away from the team. Hours before the Milan match, hundreds gathered outside the training ground and formed a convoy of mopeds to escort the players' bus to Ponte Milvio, the bridge over the Tiber near the stadium. A statement from organised supporter groups had already made their plan clear: from there, they would watch the game in a pub or at home.

Claudio Lotito: the target of a protest that has simmered for years

The feud with Lotito is not new. In January, an open letter published on Change.org and signed by more than 45,000 people accused the owner of denying fans the right to dream during his more than two decades in charge. "It has been years, almost seven, since we lifted a trophy," the petition read. It also criticised the club for failing to sign a player capable of exciting supporters young and old.

The grievances run deep. The letter pointed to the handling of a memorial for Vincenzo Paparelli, the Lazio fan killed by a flare fired from the Roma end during the 1979 derby. Lotito was accused of preventing Paparelli's niece from walking onto the pitch during an event last November. He denied that account at the time, saying the issue was that four representatives of the organised support wanted to join her.

Salernitana, Reggina and an owner with divided attention

Some supporters question whether Lotito's focus remains on Lazio. He was elected to the Italian senate in 2022 and bought Salernitana in 2011, guiding them from Serie D to the top flight over the next decade. When both clubs ended up in Serie A, he was forced to sell Salernitana because of the conflict of interest.

Italian football rules were later changed to prevent simultaneous ownership of two clubs in the top three divisions. That did not stop Lotito from completing a takeover of Reggina, a fourth-tier side, this summer. For his critics, it is further evidence that Lazio are not his only priority.

A transfer embargo, key sales and a clever rebuild

Lazio could not buy anyone at the start of the summer because they were placed under a transfer embargo for failing to meet liquidity requirements introduced by the Italian Football Federation. Lotito argued the rules failed to take into account the club's record of operating without major outstanding debts.

Navigating those restrictions meant selling important players. Taty Castellanos and Mattéo Guendouzi left in January, followed in the summer by Mario Gila, Alessio Romagnoli and Ivan Provedel. Once the embargo was lifted, the club moved smartly. Centre-back Danilho Doekhi arrived on a free transfer from Union Berlin, striker Albert Gudmundsson joined on loan from Fiorentina, and Davide Frattesi came in on loan from Inter.

Davide Frattesi: the bargain signing carrying Lazio's midfield

The Frattesi deal looks like a steal. Lazio paid a €5m loan fee for this season and hold a right to buy for €10m next year. Inter paid more than twice that amount when they signed him from Sassuolo in 2023, then kept him for three seasons as an understudy to Nicolò Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu.

Still only 26, Frattesi said after joining that he had deliberately chosen a club where the weight would fall on his shoulders. He responded immediately, scoring in each of his first three matches: winners against Bologna and Genoa, then the opener in a 2-1 victory away to Udinese.

How Lazio let victory slip against Milan in an away-day atmosphere

Lazio struck first through Matteo Cancellieri, who converted a Mattia Zaccagni cross at the back post in the 10th minute. Zaccagni was involved again for the second goal, as Tijjani Noslin forced the ball home after a defender had knocked it onto the crossbar. In between, Mike Maignan made a fine save to deny Zaccagni from close range.

A 2-0 lead hinted at a rout, but Milan made three substitutions at half-time. Diego Moreira, their €50m signing, came on to score two fine goals and secure a 2-2 draw. "Maybe with our fans here we would have managed to hold out," said Zaccagni. "But the draw is a fair result in the end." Gattuso thanked the supporters who had shown up beforehand, visibly moved by a fanbase that refuses to enter the stadium yet still recognises players who wear the shirt with pride.

For me, football without fans is shit. What do you think? I'd say it's better to stay home. Better to go for a walk with the dogs.