Advertisement

Benevento football captain apologizes for Instagram death posts

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Benevento football captain apologizes for Instagram death posts
The posts were published on Instagram. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP

Benevento captain Fabio Lucioni on Wednesday apologized after posts on his Instagram account wishing death on those who imposed a one-year doping ban on him.

Advertisement

Italy's anti-doping authority NADO banned the 30-year-old defender on Tuesday after testing positive for the steroid clostebol following Benevento's 1-0 loss to Torino in September.

Team doctor Walter Giorgione admitted he was to blame and he was also banned for four years by NADO for administering the steroid to Lucioni in a spray.

Posts appeared on Lucioni's Instagram account Wednesday in which he hoped that those responsible for his suspension "wake up tomorrow morning ... frozen... and that to transport you mahogany boxes are needed".

But the defender later posted a rectification, again on Instagram.

"I apologize personally and I want to clarify that the profile in question, is managed by third parties, who have been promptly dismissed. These words are neither my thoughts nor my way of behaving," said Luciano.

 

A post shared by Fabio Lucioni (@fabio_lucioni5) on Aug 14, 2017 at 5:32am PDT

READ ALSO: Cagliari football club go unpunished for fans' racist abuse

Lucioni joined Benevento in 2014 and had helped the team from outside Naples move from the third division up into Serie A this season for the first time.

"I played all levels and finally got to Serie A when I was 30 years. My childhood dream has been taken from me," the player said earlier Wednesday. "I was hoping for a different justice and will continue to fight this disqualification."

Benevento reignited their campaign with two straight wins -- their first ever in the top flight -- just before the winter break.

They had previously broken a European record with 14 consecutive defeats from the start of the season before earning their first Serie A point in December when their goalkeeper scored an injury time equalizer against AC Milan.

They then lost another three matches in a row before running up home wins over Chievo and Sampdoria.

The Serie A tailenders now have seven points from 20 games going into Sunday's trip to Bologna and are nine points from safety.

READ ALSO: Balotelli sparks row by posing with a shotgun on Instagram 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also