Watch: Italian Football Star Kicks Ball At Fans After Suffering Racist Abuse During Serie A Match
Mario Balotelli had to be held back by players from both teams to stop him from leaving the field of play.
Highlights
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Balotelli racially abused by Hellas Verona fans during a Serie match
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Balotelli kicked the ball in anger at the Verona fans in the stands
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Balotelli was held back by players from both teams from leaving the field
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.
(With AFP inputs)