Balotelli and the case of the “non-racist” banner: his displeasure – Corriere.it

African Balotelli not racism, but just a mockery. This was decided by the Turin prosecutor’s office, which requested and obtained the filing of a proceeding against three members of Forza Nuova who in 2017 in front of the Allianz Stadium they had hung up a banner with the inscription: Mario you are right you are an African. The three had been filmed by television cameras during the posting and had received three complaints and three Daspo, the ban on access to the stadium.

Their lawyer, Guido Anetrini, had pointed out that the banner had appeared following an interview in which the attacker declared that he felt more African than Italian. this was precisely one of the reasons why the prosecutor did not recognize the crime of propaganda and instigation to commit a crime for reasons of racial discrimination. From reading the banner – writes the prosecutor – there do not appear to have been any abusive insults or offensive expressions towards subjects of African origin, nor are there any propaganda intentions or messages of hatred and contempt towards a specific ethnic group.

Although the provocative and also in some ways sarcastic and mocking intent is evident – the text continues – it must be emphasized that the idea was offered by Balotelli himself in the interview. The investigating judge then declared the prosecutor’s reasoning acceptable and proceeded with the filing. Case closed, then. At least for the prosecutor’s office, because Mario (last season at Sion in Switzerland: relegated to Serie B) obviously didn’t take it well. Born in Palermo in 1990 to Ghanaian parents and raised from the age of four in the province of Brescia with a foster family, the center forward was often the target of racist abuse. Since I was a child.

There have been so many racists in my life – Supermario said in the past -. When I was younger it was very difficult. Change in the hands of the new generations, we need to teach our children that we are all the same. Even in the stadiums he has suffered insults for the color of his skin. One of the most sensational episodes dates back to November 2019, when he played for Brescia: the usual howls started in Verona and the player kicked the ball towards the grandstand, interrupting the game and threatening to leave.

It became a political case, also due to the enormous international media impact of Balo, who already in 2012 at the age of only 22 ended up on the cover of the prestigious American magazine Time
. In that interview you said: I hope I can help Italy to be a modern country.