Lazio's fine increased amid COVID-19 protocol breach

ROME

Italian Football Federation's (FIGC) court of appeal on Friday raised Lazio's fine for breaching COVID-19 protocols.

In a statement on Friday FIGC said the court refused Lazio's appeal and fined the Italian Serie A club €200,000 ($240,000) and suspended its president Claudio Lotito for 12 months.

In late March, Lazio appealed to the Italian football body as Lotito was previously suspended for seven months and Lazio were handed a €150,000 ($180,000) fine.

It added that 12-month bans of Lazio doctors Ivo Pulcini and Fabio Rodia were approved as well.

Lazio lawyer Michele Gentile told Italian news agency ANSA that they did not expect this verdict but will appeal to a superior court.

- Investigation

Lazio players Ciro Immobile, Lucas Leiva, and Thomas Strakosha tested positive for the novel coronavirus to miss their team's UEFA Champions League group matches against Belgium's Club Brugge on Oct. 28, 2020 and Russian club Zenit on Nov. 4, 2020.

But the Lazio trio were in the club's match squad against Torino on Nov. 1.

Immobile and Leiva played in the second half, and Immobile also scored from a penalty kick.

Lazio won the league match 4-3 in Turin.

Last November, FIGC launched an investigation about Lazio's coronavirus tests and inspected the pre-match testing which had different results.

* Writing by Can Erozden in Ankara.