Lazio president Claudio Lotito has submitted a 15-page defense contesting Torino’s decision to abandon their Serie A clash against Lazio last week.
According to a report from Italian media outlet La Lazio Siamo Noi earlier today, the Biancocelesti presented their defense at 23:46 last night, only a few minutes before the deadline. The sporting judge is set to make his decision today.
Lazio’s defense focused on dismantling Torino’s claims point by point, starting with the timing of the ‘home quarantine’. From February 27th onwards there were no cases of Covid-19 and the Granata resumed individual training the following day, despite the ban imposed by the Local Health Authority.
The Biancocelesti complained about the fact that Torino obtained a letter, dated March 1st, that remedied their violation of the order.
The Roman club also highlighted how the Local Health Authority did not start the isolation on the 23rd February, the day of the first positive case, and instead waited until the next day.
Lazio’s defense also commented on the lack of symmetry between this case and the Juventus v Napoli case from earlier this season.
The Napoli Local Health Authority ordered the isolation on the 3rd October at 16:53, a day before the match against the Bianconeri. In this case, Torino’s isolation expired on the 28th February or the 1st March, the day before the game.
Below is an extract of Lazio’s defense:
Unfounded claim. Torino cannot invoke any cause of force majeure.
The quarantine ordered on February 23 by the Local Health Authority of Turin, an ordinance with immediate effect for the protection of health, could not take effect from the next day with an expiry date of March 2 and not March 1.
It had failed on February 28, the day when Torino had resumed training, which was followed by a retroactive measure by the Local Health Authority. This measure was illegitimate.
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