Racism storm hits Italy again
Balotelli faces racist chants
Rome, Nov. 4: Mario Balotelli on Sunday thanked his fellow players and supporters for their support after he was racially abused by Hellas Verona fans, the latest in a series of ugly incidents that have blighted the early weeks of the Serie A season. Brescia striker Balotelli scored in a 2-1 Serie A defeat at Verona that leaves his hometown side in the relegation zone, but his performance was overshadowed by his fury at Verona’s notorious supporters, who have a long track record of far-right politics and open racism. Despite denials of abuse from Verona, a video published on Twitter by a fan showed a number of supporters clearly directing monkey chants at Balotelli before the Italy international booted the ball at them in the stands. The 29-year-old, who was born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents but was raised just outside Brescia, then had to be held back by players from both teams to stop him from leaving the field of play. “Thanks to all the colleagues on and off the field for the solidarity expressed toward me and all of the messages received from you fans,” Balotelli wrote in a message on Instagram alongside a video of the incident. “A heartfelt thanks. You’re real men, not like those who deny the evidence.” Verona coach Ivan Juric had earlier told Sky Sport that he heard “no racists chants, nothing at all” after a win that lifts his side to ninth, adding that “to say otherwise is a lie”.
The club’s president Maurizio Setti then said that his club’s supporters were “light-hearted, not racist” and were a crowd with “real sport in its DNA”.
“We are the first to condemn racism but it is wrong to generalise... Maybe two or three people among 20,000 fans might have said something,” he said to Sky.
The match was suspended for a few minutes around the hour mark as Balotelli tried to force himself from the field before a message was read out on the stadium loudspeaker threatening that both teams would leave the field if there was a repeat of any abuse, a message that was whistled loudly by a large number of the home fans.