LAZIO fans left their stadium almost completely empty in protest against owner Claudio Lotito.
The Italian giants played host to Genoa on Friday night, securing a dramatic 3-2 win with a penalty in the tenth minute of stoppage time.
The result saw Maurizio Sarri’s side move eighth in the table, a month after the ex-Chelsea gaffer underwent heart surgery following a major health scare last summer.
But they are some way off competing for top honours, sitting 20 points behind league leaders Inter Milan.
They are also 11 points off a Champions League spot, while even a Conference League place is eight points away.
Lazio fans were left outraged earlier this month when their chances of improvement took a major hit in the transfer window.
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The club, who were banned from signing new players last summer due to financial issues, first bid farewell to striker Valentin Castellanos as he joined West Ham for £25million.
At the same time, star midfielder Matteo Guendouzi went to Fenerbahce for a similar fee.
Just a fraction has been reinvested in suitable replacements, with Ajax midfielder Kenneth Taylor the pick of the bunch.
Nominal fees have been spent on forward Adrian Przyborek, goalie Edoardo Motta and playmaker Daniel Maldini.
And boss Sarri admitted he had never even heard of new striker Petar Ratkov.
But angry fans found a way to demonstrate their rage by leaving the Stadio Olimpico practically empty for Friday’s win over Genoa.
Only a handful of supporters were seen in the stands cheering on Sarri’s side.
And the bleak scenes were echoed by Lazio’s struggles on the pitch.
The vast majority of fans who didn’t turn up will be hoping it sends a stark message to unpopular owner Lotito.
He has overseen a steady decline in squad quality over the past several seasons, with Lazio failing to properly replace big names including Francesco Acerbi, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile.
The exits of Castellanos and Guendouzi proved to be the final straw.
But it remains to be seen whether Lotito is stirred into action before deadline day, with star defender Alessio Romagnoli now being lined up for a reported move to Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, Sarri spoke about the “downgrading” of Lazio’s squad — but promised not to quit under Lotito for a second time due to his loyalty for the fans.
The Europa League winner with Chelsea, who left Lazio in March 2024 before returning last summer, declared: “I said many things to the Lazio fans.
“I said that this season I’d do anything, and accept any kind of compromise, because I made a promise to them, they are showing so much love, which I cannot ever hope to repay in full.
“Lazio is something you cannot understand from the outside. When you arrive here, it is unconditional love.
“So far, yes (the squad has downgraded). We’ll have to see where we are at the end of the season, but until now yes. The club tells me they want to build a young squad, but it has to be one of quality.
“I don’t care about age, if there is quality, you can be 20 or 30, it makes no difference to me.
“I don’t know (if Lazio’s moving in the right direction). I have no idea right now, we’ll have a better idea when things are more stable.
“At the moment, the overwhelming feeling is no, but we’ll see what happens over the next few days, I might be proved wrong. Let’s wait and see.”
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