Fan who aimed chants at Balotelli banned from sports event

A 38-year-old Italian man has been suspended for five years from stadiums after being found guilty of racially abusing Italian striker Mario Balotelli during a November 2019 Serie A match.

Mario Balotelli, who plays for Brescia, had been reluctant to leave the game in half after hearing racist calls from the stands during the second half of the 2:1 defeat against Hellas Veronas, who was sentenced to a fanless match.

The man accused of inciting racist calls, which angered Balotelli so much that he reacted and fired the ball to the stands, was identified by Verona police, who used cameras installed in the stadium.

The five-year suspension means that he will not be able to watch any sporting matches within the European Union through stadiums until 2025, and will not be allowed to visit the areas where fans usually gather on match days.

Balotelli faced racist calls again this month, this time from Lazio fans, in the 2:1 home defeat. Lazio has been sentenced to 20,000 euros while police are continuing investigations to identify the fans responsible for those calls.

The 29-year-old Balotelli has been a victim of racist calls several times during his career. When he played for Inter, his rivals provoked him by chanting, “There are no black Italians” and he had also suffered other offenses during the Milan match against Rome in 2013.