Milan’s Balotelli takes centre-stage in battle against racism

DPA/Rome

Mario Balotelli appears set to become a leader in a battle against racism that flared up in the final part of the Italian Serie A season.

Local media yesterday reported that the mayor of Florence Matteo Renzi called the Italian international after he and other AC Milan teammates with African origins were racially abused at a train station of the Tuscany town.

Balotelli late Sunday was held back as he tried to confront some fans of Fiorentina, who jeered him and his team as they arrived at a Florence train station after defeating Siena 2-1.

The win in the season finale prevented Fiorentina from leapfrogging the Devils in the race for a Champions League berth.

“I called Mario and told him that no one can be attacked for the colour of his skin,” said Renzi, who is an active Fiorentina fan.

“I cannot but be happy that the national team strikers are Balotelli and (Stephan) El Shaarawy. I told Balotelli that Florence is home to him.” Italy’s Minister of integration Cecile Kyenge, who is a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said about the recent episodes that “we must be very careful to understand when we talk about racism, about sports, and about a sports defeat, or when other motives lead people to do certain things.

“Racism is certainly an issue to be tackled,” Kyenge said, “but I think that we must look at when these chants happened and link them to the result of games.”

A week earlier in Milan, Balotelli gestured to silence a group of visiting Roma fans who booed him, which led to a brief suspension of the game at the Giuseppe Meazza and to a fine of 50,000 euros (64,400 dollars) handed to the Rome club. Roma received another 50,000-euro fine this week after their fans jeered Balotelli during a game with Napoli.

A sports judge also ordered a one-game closure of the home-fan curve when Roma play at the Stadio Olimpico in the next season.

Inter Milan were also fined 50,000 euros for chants against Balotelli during Sunday’s home game with Udinese.

Balotelli, 22, who was born in Italy to Ghanaian parents and adopted by an Italian family when he was 3, said last week that he would leave the pitch if racially abused, changing his mind from his previous intention to ignore racist abuse.

He found support from Cesare Prandelli, the Italian coach who gathered the squad Monday at the camp outside Florence for physical tests ahead of a World Cup qualifier and the Brazil-hosted Confederations Cup.

“The problem of jeers is a serious one and it does not affect only Balotelli or Milan, but all our football,” Prandelli said. “We must head toward tolerating nothing.

“It takes determination and focus. It will be a long process, but we must make children and boys understand what are the right things to do in certain situations.”

Prandelli said that in case of racial episodes he and the team would not allow Balotelli to leave the pitch, but gather around him in a solidarity hug.

Marcello Nicchi, the president of the Italian referees association, said that players who leave the pitch should not be allowed back in the game, but was contradicted by former star referee Pierluigi Collina.

“We should not get to the point when a player, to defend his own dignity, is forced to leave the pitch,” Collina said.