After the recent racist derailment of Italian striker Mario Balotelli, the club Hellas Verona has imposed a more than ten-year stadium ban against a leading fan-representative. Luca Castellini, one of the leaders of the so-called Ultras, was suspended until June 30, 2030, the club said. He had violated his pronouncements severely against the ethical norms and principles of the club.
Nota ufficiale del Club - Sospensione di gradimento nei confronti del Signor Luca Castellini
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Castellini had said on Monday, according to media reports, Balotelli could never be a real Italian. The player was born the son of Ghanaian parents in Italy. When asked if he was a racist, Castellini said that Verona also had a "Negro" and that this was cheered by his own fans after his goal on Sunday. He referred to the Italian-born Colombian-born Eddi Salcedo.
On Sunday, Verona fans had insulted the guest striker in the home game against Balotelli's Brescia Calcio several times with monkey sounds and racist cries. In the 54th minute Balotelli stopped the ball during an attack, took him in the hands and shot him in the direction of a fan block of the hosts. Then the 29-year-old wanted to leave the field. Teammates and opponents persuaded Balotelli to continue playing. Verona won 2-1, Balotelli scored in the 85th minute, the connecting goal.
In recent months, there have been numerous racist incidents in Italy. In September, Inter's star accession Romelu Lukaku was offended by apes and racist cusses during an away game at Cagliari Calcio. Lukaku himself had asked via Twitter clubs and associations to take action against it. As a result, fans of his own club Inter had put racism into perspective: In Italy, it would be up to football to finish off the opponent with all possible means.