Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli is the latest high profile footballer to suffer racial abuse on twitter.
The Merceyside Police said it is investigating the comments aimed at Balotelli on the social network after he mocked Manchester United for their 5-3 defeat to Leicester on Sunday. Balotelli tweeted “Man Utd,,,,LOL” to his followers. The tweet was bound to cause a stir since Balotelli had once played for Manchester City.
His comments was retweeted over 150,000 times but most of the messages received were very racist and included the slur ‘monkey’, which sparked public outrage and the police investigation.
Many of the culprits have closed down their twitter accounts but are often easy to trace with the assistance of internet service providers.
The anti-discrimination group Kick it Out has also stepped in and wrote: “Kick it Out is aware of racist tweets directed @FinallyMario and will be reporting to the authorities. Thanks to all who have alerted us”
Balotelli has been subject to racist abuse in the past. Italian supporters heckled him during a training camp while he was preparing with his International teammates for the World Cup finals and he was racially abused on several occasions while playing in Serie A, firstly, at Inter Milan and again at AC Milan.
He spoke about racial abuse in an interview with GQ Magazine in July.
‘They aren’t used to seeing people who are different, not white, who act not as rebels but normally,’ he said.
‘I think what the ignorant people don’t like is that people who are different are allowed to act that way.
‘These stupid people, they get angry with me, they say horrible things, but I haven’t done anything different from other people.
‘I have made mistakes, like everyone does, and I have always paid for my mistakes. I think that if I was white maybe some people would still find me irritating or annoying but it wouldn’t be the same. Absolutely not.
‘Jealousy is a horrible thing, but when this jealousy is towards people who are different from the majority, and who maybe also have more than you, then it becomes anger, it becomes rage, and that’s the overt racism.’
