Lazio and club President Claudio Lotito were dealt a blow this evening as Ciro Immobile, Lucas Leiva, and goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha have all tested positive for COVID-19, according to La Repubblica.
The Italian FA (FIGC) launched an investigation into the Biancocelesti earlier this week after Immobile featured against Torino last Sunday despite having tested positive for COVID-19, which they claimed was a false positive.
Eyebrows were raised, though, when Lazio announced that the striker would not be called-up for Wednesday’s match against Zenit, which ended 1-1, due to “undisclosed” reasons. The same was true the previous week when Immobile faced Bologna but was held out of the mid-week match against Brugge.
However, today’s results, which were tested by a new laboratory and not the Avellino-based laboratory that Lazio have been using since May, have cast a serious shadow over Simone Inzaghi’s side.
Futura Diagnostica, the name of the laboratory that Lotito’s club has been using, is owned by former Avellino President Walter Taccone and now find themselves in the spotlight, too.
It remains to be seen what punishment will be handed down to Lotito, but it could be extremely serious given that the club were aware that Immobile tested positive yet allowed him to train and participate in multiple matches.
