 "Lazio's eagle is set to return after previous falconer's sacking in January. Reuters/X")
The eagle is set to hover over Olimpico Stadium again as the Roman club Lazio announced the return of its mascot bird after almost a year of hiatus following the dismissal of its falconer due to him uploading inappropriate pictures on social media.
Spaniard Juan Bernabe, the handler of the eagle called Olimpia, was sacked in January after posting his naked pictures on social media following a surgery.
Olimpia, female bald eagle, flew over the Olimpico Stadium during every home game of Lazio and had become one of the most iconic symbols of the club that had the bird in its emblem for almost a century.
Olimpia’s first flew over the stadium in September 2010 when Lazio hosted Milan and since then her flight on home games of the Roman club became a ritual.
Why Lazio suspended Bernabe?
Bernabe had been the handler of Olimpia and was a well-known figure among the fans of the club. He was frequently pictured with the eagle on the pitch and that made him a recognisable figure.
However, in January 2025, Bernabe underwent an operation to implant a penile prosthesis. He posted his naked pictures on social media to show the results of the operation.
This did not go down well with the fans and the club who announced his dismissal soon after the inappropriate pictures were released.
Emphasising on “the seriousness of his behavior”, Lazio suspended the falconer and the eagle ritual was stopped.
Lazio announce new eagle
On Monday this week, the Roman club took to social media to announce the arrival of their new eagle.
The club uploaded an image of the falcon and wrote, “Introducing our new Eagle”.
However, fans will still have to wait for the eagle’s return because, as per reports, it is still under training. Marca reports that the bird will be fully trained to make its first flight over the stadium only next year.