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Verona fan banned from games until 2030 for racist comments towards Mario Balotelli


The head of a Hellas Verona ultras supporters group has been handed an 11-year ban by the Serie A club over racist comments he made about Brescia forward Mario Balotelli

The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker kicked the ball towards opposition fans during the 2-1 defeat in the Italian top-flight clash on Sunday after being racially targeted by home supporters.

The referee briefly halted the game early in the second half while an announcement was played over the PA system threatening to suspend the clash unless the chanting stopped.





Balotelli was visibly distressed, picking up the ball and threatening to walk off the pitch during the away defeat.

In a club statement, Verona confirmed the supporter in question, Luca Castellini, was given a ban until "June 30, 2030."

In an interview on Monday, the supporter said: "Balotelli is Italian because he has Italian citizenship, but he can never be completely Italian."

Balotelli, 29, scored for Brescia in the 85th minute during the 2-1 defeat.

He later responded to Castellini's comments, saying his outburst had "nothing to do with football", adding, "you are getting into social and historical situations that are bigger than you, you small-minded people."

Meanwhile, Verona manager Ivan Juric claimed after the game he did not hear any racist chanting coming from home supporters.

Elsewhere, the Serie A match between Roma vs Napoli was briefly suspended on Saturday after anti-territorial chants from the home supporters.

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