AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli has been banned for three matches following an altercation with a referee at the end of Milan's 2-1 loss to Napoli on Sunday.
Balotelli missed on a penalty and scored in the contest, but was shown his second yellow card after the final whistle of the game for engaging in a confrontation with a referee. The referee said that Balotelli made insulting comments towards him and attempted to intimidate him, leading to a suspension of three games for the striker.
Milan is currently mulling whether or not to appeal the suspension, but as it stands right now Balotelli will miss the next three games against Bologna, Sampdoria and Juventus.
According to The Associated Press, Milan will have their south stand shut for the team's next home game against Sampdoria as a punishment for their fans chanting racial slurs during the game against Napoli.
Balotelli has experience with being on the receiving end of racial slurs as fans of his former team of Inter Milan yelled racial slurs towards him back in February of this year. Balotelli remained composed during the taunts, holding one finger over his mouth as a signal to attempt to quiet the crowd down. Balotelli, who is of Ghanaian heritage, had inflatable bananas waved at him and fans whistled loudly in his direction during the match in February.
Whether or not Milan fights the ban remains to be seen.
Through four games this season, Balotelli has notched three goals and an assist while taking 30 shots on net.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
