In recent years, the Lazio Ultras have come under heavy criticism for a series of offensive banners, many of which have included racial abuse aimed at opposition fans.
Believed to be a response to that criticism, a section of the Lazio Ultras unveiled yet another banner during their recent Serie A clash against Italian giants AC Milan.
“God save the ultras”: Lazio fans respond to criticism
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During the club's Serie A match against AC Milan on March 1, a section of the Lazio Ultras' fanbase revealed a banner reading: “Dio salvi gli ultras”, which, when translated into English means “God save the ultras”.
In recent years, the Lazio Ultras have come under heavy fire for a string of racist and offensive banners aimed towards the opposition fanbase. One incident, in particular, stands out and occurred against Celtic during a European clash on November 28, 2023.
This match saw the Lazio fans display particularly hostile banners towards the travelling fans, labelling the Celtic supporters as “potato eaters”, with references to famine being especially abundant.
It was yet another reminder that while ultras are incredibly important to the sport – they are of course most often responsible for creating intimidating atmospheres within stadiums – they can occasionally overstep the mark.
The Irriducibili
The message “God save the ultras” also comes after the club's most infamous ultras group, the Irriducibili, disbanded in 2020. Active for over 33 years, the group had become synonymous with the club and were, in many ways, an asset to the side when it came to creating an atmosphere at their home stadium
However, they were forced to disband just four years ago, citing a crackdown on violent, racist and anti-Semitic behaviour as the main reason as to why it was necessary.
Although the Irriducibili were simply just renamed to Ultras Lazio, there has been a growing feeling among many fans at the club that, at least in its truest form, ultra culture is slowly being eradicated from the sport.