Disgusting Brescia ultras have criticised Mario Balotelli after he was racially abused during the match against Hellas Verona last weekend, claiming he wasn't 'ready psychologically' and should have given up his place in the team.
Balotelli kicked the ball into the stands and walked off the pitch, forcing the match to be suspended momentarily, after receiving abuse from the Verona fans.
The home side banned ultra leader Luca Castellini until 2030, despite Verona coach Ivan Juric, President Maurizio Setti and even the Mayor of Verona all claiming there was no abuse, despite it being audible on recordings.
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Ultras of Balotelli's own side Brescia have disgustingly defended Castellini and criticised the forward. In a statement they called the Italian arrogant and claimed he should give his place to someone else in the team, writing, "If Balotelli was not ready psychologically to face the Verona fanbase and, above all, such a delicate match in which our city and our coach - among the most beloved figures - was taking his final chance at saving his job, then he should've said so and left his place to someone less... irritable than him. None of us would've been upset if he had, quite the contrary.
"The personal declarations of one of the leaders of the Verona Curva cannot justify the witch-hunt sparked by the media and institutions in yet another attempt to criminalise and destroy the entire Ultras world.
"This does not mean that certain chants are legitimate or acceptable, but nor are all Verona fans racists and the Verona Curva some sort of KKK coven.
"Entire fanbases cannot be considered racist, but racism does exist and it is often used to create mass panic in public opinion. This unconventional language is used more and more by public and political figures, but of course nobody would think of banning them because of some code of ethics.
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"We have absolutely no doubts that Balotelli is to all intents Italian, and even a Bresciano, but the arrogance that he continually gives off is unjustifiable.
"The notorious 'Balotellate' antics are now all too well known. What matters more to us are the spirit of sacrifice, passion respect, motivation and sweating for the shirt, concepts that seem to be entirely unknown to him.
"We condemn any gesture or provocation that is clearly hostile and discriminatory, but, we also want to give our solidarity to those who once again saw their liberty destroyed. This time it wasn't even by the authorities, who considered his behaviour not that serious, but by his own club."
Castellini claimed after the match that the abuse was 'only in his [Balotelli's] own head' before claiming the forward was 'never completely Italian.'
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The former Manchester City striker did react in the way best possible to the abuse by scoring a goal later in the match but it was just a consolation as Brescia lost 2-1.
It will be very sad for the player that his own fans have backed his abuser and sadly this isn't the first such instance in Serie A this season.
Romelu Lukaku was abused earlier this season by Cagliari fans and Inter ultras claimed it was a compliment to their striker that opposition fans feared him.
Authorities in Italy really need to come down harder on fans and clubs if things are ever going to change and clearly things do need to change.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Racism, Brescia, Serie A, Mario Balotelli, Racism in football, Italy