ROME: Mario Balotelli on Sunday thanked his fellow players and supporters for their support after he was racially abused by Hellas Verona fans, the latest in a series of ugly incidents that have blighted the early weeks of the Serie A season. Despite denials of abuse from Verona, a video published on Twitter by a fan showed a number of supporters clearly directing monkey chants at Balotelli before the Italy international booted the ball at them in the stands. “Thanks to all the colleagues on and off the field for the solidarity expressed toward me and all of the messages received from you fans,” Balotelli wrote in a message on Instagram alongside a video of the incident. Brescia's Mario Balotelli (2-L) reacts following racist chants by Hellas Verona supporters during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and Brescia Calcio at Bentegodi stadium in Verona, Italy, 03 November 2019. Both sides are a point behind Roma, who stayed third following their 2-1 win over Napoli on Saturday which extends their unbeaten run in the league to six games despite a weeks-long injury crisis.

Source: New Strait Times November 03, 2019 23:03 UTC