Florence: Italy must adopt a zero tolerance policy towards racism in football if they are to eradicate the problem from the sport, national team coach Cesare Prandelli said on Monday. A number of Italian clubs have been punished for racist incidents recently.
"It is a serious problem, a problem that is not only the national team's or Milan's but Italian football's," Prandelli said. "If we want to be credible on a European and worldwide level, we can't tolerate anything anymore. It starts with a 'boo' and then you don't know where it will go. It is a long path, but you have to make it clear to everyone how they have to behave."
AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli has said he will walk off the field the next time he is racially abused, following the example of strike partner Kevin-Prince Boateng, who led his team-mates off the pitch when he was racially abused during an exhibition game against an Italian fourth-tier side in January.
"It's never happened in the national team but we would be the first to go onto the pitch and embrace him so he wouldn't go off," Prandelli said....
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09:15 AM, May 21, 2013
Fiorentina's players and officials were furious after being deprived of a place in the Champions League playoff by two late goals from AC Milan on Sunday, who clinched third place in Serie A and qualified at their expense. Milan, needing to beat relegated Siena to hold on to third spot, won 2-1 after equalising with a controversial penalty won and converted by Mario Balotelli before Philippe Mexes grabbed the winner....
02:34 PM, May 20, 2013
Milan: AC Milan secured third spot and a place in the Champions League after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Siena on Sunday in the final Serie A round of the season. Fiorentina crushed Pescara 5-1 but remained in fourth spot and will play in the Europa League next season. Mario Balotelli leveled for Milan after they were contentiously awarded penalty six minutes from fulltime, and Philippe Mexes scored...
08:49 AM, May 20, 2013
Rome: Italian Referee's Association (AIA) president Marcello Nicchi has said that Mario Balotelli will be sent off if he were to leave the field to protest racist chanting. "Everyone is free to express their own opinions but there are rules. Whoever leaves the field to make a protest, without warning the referee or without being substituted will be sent off," Nicchi told Italian news channel SkyTG24 on Friday. "Less importance...
05:27 PM, May 17, 2013
AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri condemned Italian soccer culture as backward on Sunday after his team's match at home against AS Roma was interrupted by racist chanting from fans. Allegri also criticised the interruption, during which warnings were broadcast to the fans over the public address system, as an unsuccessful compromise and said that forward Mario Balotelli was being increasingly taunted by racist abuse. "People should go to the stadium...
01:12 PM, May 13, 2013
Milan: AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli has complained that Serie A match officials are too harsh on him. The Italy international returned from suspension in the 4-2 win over Catania at San Siro Sunday. He had been banned for verbally abusing an assistant referee in the 2-2 draw at Fiorentina in early April. He was booked in the 72nd minute for reacting angrily when what he perceived to be a...
02:32 PM, Apr 30, 2013
Rome: AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli will miss Sunday's top of the table clash at Juventus despite having his three-match suspension cut to two games. "The Federal Court of Justice has partially upheld an appeal by Milan and reduces the matches Mario Balotelli is banned for by three to two games, adding a fine of 20,000 euros in exchange for the third match," the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on...
10:30 PM, Apr 19, 2013
Rome: AC Milan desperately need a win to revive their hopes of direct qualification for the Champions League. Juventus haven't beaten Milan in Serie A since 2011 and want to demonstrate their supremacy as they march toward a second consecutive Italian title. With their last two meetings decided by questionable decisions from the referee, Sunday's match in Turin is attracting extra hype. With six rounds remaining in the Italian league,...
08:11 AM, Apr 19, 2013
Turin: Maverick forward Mario Balotelli was given a three-match ban on Tuesday for insulting the fourth official at the end of AC Milan's 2-2 draw at Fiorentina at the weekend. Balotelli was due to face an automatic one-match suspension for accumulating four yellow cards when he was needlessly booked for failing to retreat at a free kick. But Serie A's disciplinary commissioner said in a statement he had added another...
12:37 AM, Apr 10, 2013
Milan: AC Milan's maverick forward Mario Balotelli was caught smoking in the toilet on the train during the team's journey to Florence and will be fined, chief executive Adriano Galliani said on Sunday. Balotelli was ticked off by the train guard who told Galliani: "You need to pull his ears. He was smoking in the bathroom. Smoking is banned on Italian trains. "I want to say that we're going to...
05:56 PM, Apr 07, 2013
Manchester: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes a lack of goals and maverick striker Mario Balotelli's departure to AC Milan in January has harmed the defence of their Premier League crown. Second-placed City are 15 points behind rivals Manchester United, whom they face at Old Trafford on Monday, and Mancini said last week the title race was over. "Mario scored 15 goals last season. This is the difference, the goals...
10:38 PM, Apr 05, 2013
In the slowly shifting landscape of Italian football, the past week has marked a relatively quick change of focus. ...
08:43 AM, Mar 26, 2013
El Shaaraw believes that Balotelli and he can lead the attack for Italy and AC Milan for many years to come. ...
12:57 PM, Mar 24, 2013
Balotelli left Neymar in the shadows as he capped an inspiring performance with a majestic goal in a 2-2 draw. ...
05:36 AM, Mar 22, 2013
Napoli kept their slim title hopes alive with a 3-2 win over Atalanta, while AC Milan maintained their challenge for second by beating Palermo 2-0. ...
10:22 PM, Mar 17, 2013
Racist chants against Balotelli made little impact in Italian media, which focused more on the Milan striker's failure to score in his first city derby against Inter. ...
05:52 PM, Feb 25, 2013
Balotelli, who joined rivals AC Milan from Manchester City last month, was the target of abuse by Inter fans during their 3-1 home win over Chievo Verona. ...
07:54 PM, Feb 12, 2013
