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Brescia chief makes apparently racist remark about Balotelli

Brescia Calcio Unveils New Signing Mario Balotelli

BRESCIA, ITALY - AUGUST 19: President of Brescia Calcio Massimo Cellino and Mario Balotelli show the Brescia Calcio jersey during Brescia Calcio Unveils New Signing Mario Balotelli on August 19, 2019 in Brescia, Italy. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

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MILAN (AP) Brescia President Massimo Cellino has made an apparently racist remark about his own club’s forward Mario Balotelli.

[ MORE: Serie A scores, schedule ]

The 29-year-old Balotelli has struggled since returning to Serie A with Brescia, his hometown club, and was dropped from the weekend’s match following a dispute with coach Fabio Grosso.

Asked about Balotelli on Monday, Cellino said: “He’s black, what can I say, he’s working on clearing himself but he’s having a lot of difficulty.”

Balotelli experienced racism at the beginning of his career in Italy, when he rose to prominence with Inter Milan, and he was also the target of racist chants earlier this month during a match at Hellas Verona.

The game was suspended for several minutes and Balotelli threatened to leave the field.

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