Police investigating racist messages sent to Mario Balotelli on Twitter
Police say they are investigating several racist messages — some of them rather shocking and profane — sent to Mario Balotelli on Twitter in reaction to the Liverpool striker's posts about Manchester United's 5-3 loss to Leicester in the Premier League.
Balotelli, the outspoken, 24-year-old Italian striker who previously played for United rival Man City, posted a tweet on Sunday poking fun at the Red Devils — a fierce rival of Liverpool — following the loss in which they let a 3-1 lead slip away:
The tweet, which as of late Monday night ET had been retweeted nearly 200,000 times, immediately exploded. Here are some of the replies, as reported by multiple outlets:
By Sunday night Merseyside [England] Police said ''we can confirm officers are looking into offensive comments made on Twitter about Mario Balotelli earlier today.'' At the time, the police noted they have not received any complaints. According to Sky News, Merseyside Police later released this statement: "As far as I am aware there have been no complaints, but we have been made aware of it by a number of press inquiries."
The British anti-hate group Kick It Out, which describes itself as, "Working throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change," announced on Twitter on Sunday that it would report the tweets to authorities.
Kick It Out is aware of racist tweets directed @FinallyMario and will be reporting to the authorities. Thanks to all who have alerted us.
— Kick It Out (@kickitout) September 21, 2014
Kick It Out later told CNN in a statement, "We extend our support to Mario Balotelli after the appalling racist abuse directed at him on Twitter,"
Balotelli has yet to respond to the response, and his LOL tweet remains the last tweet he posted on Twitter. He has been the subject of racist chants and abuse before, most famously saying in 2013 following an incident with racist fans in Italy that he would walk off the pitch if he encountered such hostility again during a match.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report
