Soccer

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

AC Milan's Mario Balotelli raises finger to mouth to silence insults, racial taunts

By: The Associated Press

Posted: 02/24/2013 4:20 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/24/2013 5:25 PM

AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli, left, gets the ball past Inter Milan Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin during a Serie A soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

MILAN - Mario Balotelli of AC Milan was subjected to racial taunts by fans of his former club Sunday, but he kept his composure and held a finger to his mouth to signal for quiet.

Inter supporters waved inflated bananas and whistled at Balotelli, who is of Ghanian descent. He was facing Inter for the first time since transferring from Manchester City to Milan last month.

He gestured to the fans in the second half of a game that ended 1-1.

Balotelli had three scoring chances, notably a header in which goalkeeper Samir Handanovic made a spectacular save.

"Balotelli did very well not to react to the provocations, I'm just sorry he wasn't able to score," Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri said. "He had a great first half. Let's not forget that he's 22 years old and he was playing against his former squad. It's to be expected that he felt pressure for this match."

Balotelli played for Inter from 2006-10, helping the club to three titles in his final season with the team. He already has four goals for Milan.

The derby ended 1-1.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Soccer

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.