Claudio Lotito Should Be Removed from FIGC Position After Thoughtless Remarks

A week ago, Claudio Lotito did something stupid.

Lotito, owner and president of Lazio since 2004, was a key to getting Carlo Tavecchio elected president of FIGC after the resignation of Giancarlo Abete this summer. Since then, he has largely been seen as Tavecchio's right-hand man. Some, like AC Milan legend Demetrio Albertini, have claimed that it's Lotito, not Tavecchio, that wields the real power in the federation, and he has been a key player in developing a proposal to breathe life into the struggling Italian game.

But he found himself in hot water on February 13 when a secretly taped phone conversation was released to the media. What was revealed in that tape makes it clear that he needs to be removed from all involvement with FIGC.

The phone call in question, which was published by La Repubblica (via Football Italia), was between Lotito and Pino Iodice, the president of Lega Pro side Ischia Isolaverde.  In it, Lotito criticized the presidents of the country's top three leagues. He claimed that Serie A president Maurizio Beretta and Lega Pro president Mario Macalli decided "nothing" and called Serie B president Andrea Abodi "a cretin."

He further voiced his displeasure that less glamorous sides like Frosinone and Carpi were in position to win promotion to the top flight, saying clubs were "not worth a cent" and would harm Serie A's prospects in the television rights market before self-importantly claiming that the league's recent €1.2 billion deal with Sky and Mediaset was due to "my skill."

Iodice later called the remarks a "black mark against Italian football" and that Lotito's "delusions of omnipotence...are sending Italian football down the drain."

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The comments have produced an instant backlash. Albertini—Tavecchio's sole opponent in the summer elections—called Lotito "irritating" in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport and called on the federation to cut ties with him. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia (h/t ESPNFC), Juventus director Giuseppe Marotta called for the Italian government to intervene if FIGC takes no action. Roma president James Pallotta released a statement mocking his claiming responsibility for the new TV deal.

The most aggressive attack came from Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini. Often considered one of, if not the craziest owner in Italy, Zampa echoed Iodice's suggestion of an omnipotence complex in an appearance on Radio 24 (h/t Football Italia) and then took the ultimate shot. He compared the Lazio president to Benito Mussolini, the Fascist dictator whose reign of terror lasted nearly 21 years.

The comparison is extreme, but not as much as one would think. Lotito has become more and more arrogant since Tavecchio's election. Last week he complained bitterly about the refereeing in Lazio's 1-0 loss to Genoa. His petulance went far enough that he prepared a dossier of every decision that he feels wronged the Biancocelesti this season.

Lotito has since been removed from reform talks in the wake of his comments, but FIGC has taken no other action.

Tavecchio needs to take more drastic action and remove Lotito's responsibilities in the federation entirely. His megalomania is becoming unbearable, and it discredits calcio—especially his comments about promotion from Serie B.

Those comments were especially out of place in Italy. The country has been rocked with two major match-fixing scandals in the last eight years. The paranoia caused by Calciopoli and Calcioscommesse—especially the former—is unleashed at a moment's notice. October's five-star matchup between Juventus and Roma prompted a rash of accusations of impropriety.

The more level-headed explanation was that Serie A simply assigned a terrible referee to the game, but the incident is evidence of how easily minds can go to the worst explanation in the wake of the scandals. Lotito should know that. The appearance of impropriety—or even the appearance of the appearance of impropriety—needs to be avoided at all costs in this day and age. Lotito's comments are exactly the opposite of that.

Claudio Lotito has grown more and more arrogant this year. Someone with his attitude shouldn't be wielding power like this. The fact that the fans of his own team boycotted the club's home games toward the end of last year over claims of mismanagement doesn't inspire confidence in his abilities to lead Italian soccer forward regardless of this most recent controversy.

Lotito has grown out of control. He needs to be put in his place—and that starts with removing him from all positions of power in FIGC.