Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli is being investigated by the FA after making an apparently racist and anti-Semitic Instagram post.
Balotelli posted an image on his Instagram account of video game character Mario, with a caption that read: “Jumps like a black man, grabs coins like a Jews”. Responding to criticisms of the post on Twitter, Balotelli wrote: “My Mom is Jewish so all of you shut up please”.
Now the FA is investigating into the post, with them having contacted the Liverpool striker to hear his side of the story. He has until 6pm on Friday to respond. Speaking to BBC Sport, a spokesperson for Liverpool said: “We are aware of the posting which has since been promptly deleted by the player.
“We will be speaking to the player about the issue.”
The FA’s social media guidelines state that if a player posts racist or abusive messages on social networking sites, they will face a minimum of a 5-match ban. Though Balotelli has yet to find his form for Liverpool, he has mostly stayed out of trouble considering his turbulent time with Manchester City, which saw him throw darts at youth players and set off fireworks in his bathroom (among other things).
This will no doubt stand to infuriate Liverpool fans even more, who have already been hugely critical of Balotelli’s performances since his transfer from AC Milan in the last transfer window, a move which manager Brendan Rodgers hoped would prove to be as successful as Luis Suarez’s prolific career with the Reds.
Photo: Getty Images
