This archive report was first published on 4 November 2019.
On November 3, 2019, Mario Balotelli responded to racist chants by kicking the ball into the stands during a match between Brescia and Hellas Verona at the Stadio Bentegodi.
Brescia's striker, who has been a frequent target for racist chants during his three spells playing in Italy, was visibly upset after around an hour and charged towards Verona fans.
Verona coach Ivan Juric insisted that his team's fans did not racially abuse Balotelli, saying, "I'm not afraid to say it, nothing happened today. No racist chants, nothing at all."
However, Brescia coach Eugenio Corini told reporters afterwards that Balotelli "heard something" from the stands before he reacted.
Verona's president Maurizio Setti described the club's supporters as "light-hearted, not racist" and said they were a crowd with "real sport in its DNA".
But Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola backed his player, saying, "We are with Mario and we are against all forms of racism. Racists are just ignorant."
