Racism storm sweeps Italy again after Verona fans monkey chant Balotelli
Brescia striker Balotelli, 29, scored and hit the post 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.
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”.
“He’s a fantastic player but where were the racist chants?” Juric asked.
Verona’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.
However a video published on Twitter by a Verona fan showed the incident in detail, with a number of supporters clearly directing monkey chants at Balotelli before the Italy international booted the ball at them in the stands.
With his Brescia side a goal down to Eddie Salcedo’s powerful second-half header Balotelli, who was born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents and has been a frequent target for racist chants in Italy, charged towards the Verona fans.
Pointing towards his ears, the former AC Milan and Manchester City striker then tried to leave the pitch, only to be stopped by his teammates and Verona players.
The match was suspended for a few minutes before a message was read out by 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.
Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola told AFP he was backing his player.
“We are with Mario and we are against all forms of racism. Racists are just ignorant,” Raiola said.
– ‘He heard something’ –
The Gazzetta Dello Sport newspaper reported Balotelli left the Stadio Bentegodi without comment but Italian Football Federation officials had also heard the abuse.