Liverpool's Balotelli apologises for social media post

LONDON (Reuters) - Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli apologised on Tuesday for his social media post which appeared to contain potentially racist and anti-Semitic references.

Liverpool's Balotelli apologises for social media post

(Reuters)





Balotelli, who made the post on his Instagram page on Monday, will be investigated by the Football Association (FA), according to British media reports.

The 24-year-old Italian later deleted the post.

"I apologize if I've offended anyone," Balotelli said on Twitter. "The post was meant to be anti-racist with humour. I now understand that out of context it may have the opposite effect."

Liverpool said they will speak to the striker who signed from AC Milan in August.

"We are aware of the posting which has since been promptly deleted by the player," a Liverpool spokesman told the BBC. "We will be speaking to the player about the issue."

Former FA executive Simon Johnson, who is the chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said Balotelli should be punished.

"We abhor all forms of racism, wherever it is found," he told The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"We call upon the FA to investigate this offensive social media post and to take action if appropriate if we are to succeed in kicking racism out of football."





(Reporting By Michael Hann; editing by Sudipto ganguly)


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Liverpool's Balotelli apologises for social media post | SBS News