Lazio fans mock Giacomelli

By Football Italia staff

Lazio fans have looked to take revenge on referee Piero Giacomelli - by down voting his café on TripAdvisor.

The official drew fury from the Biancocelesti after their defeat to Torino last night, having sent off Ciro Immobile and seemingly ignored a hand ball by Iago Falque.

Sporting director Igli Tare described the refereeing as “a huge scandal, in fact more than a scandal”, while club spokesman Arturo Diaconale suggested the officials are actively seeking to harm the club.

The controversy has continued today, with some sensational reports that the Aquile could even refuse to play the rest of the Serie A campaign.

In addition, fan website LaLazioSiamoNoi tracked down what it claims was Giacomelli’s Facebook page, using the pseudonym “Jack O' Melly”.

On the now deleted page, there is a photo of the official standing behind Francesco Totti as the Roma legend takes a penalty.

Until recently, Giacomelli ran a café in his hometown of Trieste called Caffè Rossetti, and it’s also claimed that the Facebook page for that once had a mural of Totti as its cover photo, but the page has also been taken down.

In a screenshot hosted by the website, it appears this was simply an advertisement stating that the Giallorossi's game with CSKA Moscow could be watched at the venue.

Neither of these claims can be verified, and neither would constitute proof of any bias, with even LaLazioSiamoNoi noting that to see conspiracy everywhere "is not journalism and not even intellectually honest"

While the referee is no longer involved in the running of the café, Lazio fans have sought to take out their frustration via TripAdvisor.

Among a number of new one-star reviews are statements like “a nightmare” and “stay far away from this café”.

One reviewer also indulged in an extended metaphor about the game, titled “how to ruin an evening with incompetence”.

Café Rossetti is described as “an apparently nice restaurant which turned out to be a disappointment” where the reviewer was hoping to “eat well and enjoy a peaceful evening”.

Instead, the user writes, “the chef decided to send out a meal which indecorous and difficult to choke down… Despite the numerous complaints from me and my friends, who were dissatisfied with that incomprehensible dish, the chef decided to send us away in the middle of the evening while still making us pay a large bill”.

The review ends with the assertion “it would have been a nice evening but everything was spoiled by a person unfit to do this job”.

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