Juventus have apologised over the racist chanting directed at Inter Milan’s teenage striker Mario Balotelli during the pair’s clash at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
Balotelli, an Italian under-21 international, was born to Ghanaian immigrant parents but was brought up by an Italian family, whose surname he goes by — his real parents’ surname is Barwuah.
The striker is an at times controversial figure who angered home fans in Turin throughout the game, particularly for his role in the sending off of Juve midfielder Thiago.
Balotelli was playing keep ball on the touchline with Muntari Sulley, a Ghana midfielder, when Thiago let his frustrations get the better of him and kicked both of them, earning a straight red card.
Balotelli, who fell down from Thiago’s fairly innocuous kick, earnt the wrath of a small section of the home fans.
But Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli condemned the chants.
“On behalf of Juventus and the great majority of our fans I want to strongly condemn the racist chanting against Inter Milan’s Mario Balotelli,” he said in a statement on Monday.
“There are no excuses or justification for this type of behaviour. Football fans can get het up but episodes such as this are inexcusable.
“Together we must all try to promote a sporting culture that puts respect for the adversary at its core and fights against racism.”
Italian police are studying video evidence of the racist chanting to try to identify those responsible.
Marcello Nicchi, president of the Italian Referee’s Association (Aia) said the chants were very serious.
“There are 16,000 matches played in Italy every weekend, we have to send out the right signals and educate the people,” he said.
“The racist chants directed at Balotelli are very serious, UEFA and FIFA are always talking about eliminating them.
“Referees don’t have the power to stop a match but they can report on the events to the right authorities.”
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said that Balotelli’s character made him a target.
“I promise that I’m against racist chanting but there are two aspects to consider here,” he said.
“One good: Balotelli is young, he has a lot of room for improvement in his behaviour in the future.
“And one bad: with this character he knows how to be respected but he risks compromising moments of a career that promises great things because he has all he needs to be great.
“But I have to say that he’s a good kid, before and after the match he was joking with everyone.”
Brazil coach Dunga said football was a goldfish bowl that exagerates the problem of racism.
“Racism is a terrible thing but you feel it more in football because there are players from all over the world. The fans want to let off steam but they do it in the wrong way,” he said.
“Football needs to take tangible steps to combat racism.”
