Balotelli Faces Boos and Whistles. UEFA Receive Racism Complaint
It is the barb that keeps stinging at the flank of European soccer. Respect campaigns? They seem to be nothing but t-shirts and slogans peddled by a majority, all the while ignored by the ardent, hating, militant few. UEFA and FIFA have to step in at some point and make a proactive statement and make a grand gesture relating to their RESPECT campaigns and anti-racism campaigns, because at the moment they are deliberating over high profile cases one by one and it soaks up time and serves as no deterrent to those intent on spreading abuse.
Last night Manchester City defeated Porto 2-1 in the Europa League, in the Portuguese side’s Estadio Do Drago.
In the game they battled hard, and despite being 1-0 down they equalized in the 55th minute when their strong side –boasting the recalled Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli –set forth on another attack. Toure tried to smash a long pass to his Italian team mate but it ricocheted off a defender and shot into the net passed Porto’s wrong footed ‘keeper.
Then as the game seemed to be winding down substitute Sergio Aguero, a man who is yet to play 90 minutes for City, redirected a Toure cross to make it 2-1 to the away side.
However, in the aftermath of the game Balotelli, who was taken off for Aguero on the 78th minute, felt compelled to complain to officials. At half time Manchester City’s media officers told the press that they felt this was going on even early in the game.
Manager Roberto Mancini stated “I didn’t hear the noise, because I was concentrating on the game,” but The Times northern football correspondent, George Caulkin, tweeted from the stands that “City complained to UEFA’s match delegate during game about alleged racist abuse of Balotelli by Porto fans. Swift action but very distre[ssing].
“[continued] ‘Monkey’ chants clearly audible from where I was sitting. Nauseating. Marred a fine comeback from Mancini’s players.”
It remains to be seen if this will affect the players that the boos and whistles and ‘chants’ were directed at. Mancini says he believes Toure and Balotelli have enough verve and confidence about them to overlook the abuse, but it is another black mark against soccer’s top competitions. Players should not have to display their mental strength and overcome this. They shouldn’t face it. Period.
UEFA may well hand a punishment to Porto. Most likely a fine. Yet it is not right to go from case to case sanctioning clubs. Sending out a message in this instance would no longer be enough. Soccer’s governing bodies need to get tougher on racism or their organizations, already straining against ridicule, could lose face completely.
The incident is getting a lot of coverage in Britain. Is it in Portugal? Is it in FIFA or UEFA’s head offices?
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