Italian soccer club fires far-right falconer for posting penis enhancement photos on social media

We’d like to think this is common sense, but if you’re hoping to maintain your longtime job as a falconer for a professional soccer club, don’t post photos of your genitals following penis enhancement surgery on your social media account.

Now you know.

The symbol for Serie A side Lazio has long been the eagle and they are often referred to as Le Aquile (The Eagles). As such, they have a live eagle mascot that flies over Stadio Olimpico before every home game.

Juan Bernabé has been Lazio’s falconer for the past 15 years. For reasons that are entirely his own, the 56-year-old recently decided to get penis enhancement surgery. That’s all well and good, but afterward, he posted post-op photos of his genitals to his private Instagram account with a caption that said it was “a wonderful operation.” That might have been just fine except that given his position with the soccer club, Lazio supporters who follow him took screenshots and shared them publically.

In a statement on their website, Lazio announced that they had fired Bernabé over the controversy, saying “[w]e, and the historic symbol of the eagle, can no longer be associated with a person who with his behavior has made the continuation of any relationship impossible.”

Sadly, they also said that Olimpia, the current eagle mascot, will not fly before upcoming home matches. Lazio also said in their statement that they understand the “hurt” that club fans will feel over Olimpia’s absence.

Meanwhile, Bernabé doesn’t seem to think he did anything wrong.

“I’ve never regretted anything, let alone doing something that has a medical purpose,” he insisted on Radio 24’s “La Zanzara,” per The Athletic. “For me, nudity is normal. I grew up in an open-minded family of naturists. I don’t understand what’s pornographic about the photo.”

“I had the surgery to increase my sexual performance,” Bernabé added. “Because I am very active… My erection is normal but with this device, I press a button that allows me to be able to perfectly control both the erection and duration.”

This isn’t the first time Bernabé has run afoul (afowl?) of Lazio’s standards. In 2021, the falconer was suspended after a video captured him chanting “duce, duce!” (“leader, leader!”) with a group of fans in honor of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. He was also seen allegedly performing a fascist salute. At the time, Bernabé defended the chants, praised Mussolini and former Spanish strongman Francisco Franco, and said he “admires” them both. He eventually returned to his position, which is perhaps not too surprising considering the long history of racist and anti-Semitic incidents involving their fanbase.

Alas, Bernabé got a little too cocky this time to keep his job.

[H/T: Defector]