Inter’s manager backed Mario Balotelli after the striker was racially abused by Hellas Verona supporters
Inter boss Anotnio Conte had strong words for the Hellas Verona supporters who racially abused Brescia striker Mario Balotelli in Sunday’s Serie A clash, describing them as “ignorant” and “morons”.
Former Inter star Balotelli kicked the ball angrily towards Verona supporters early in the second half after hearing abuse, before threatening to walk off the pitch.
The referee brought play to a halt before following protocol, with a statement read out to the crowd in an attempt to resolve the issue.
Balotelli was persuaded to stay on and see out the game by team-mates and Verona players, before he scored a stunning late goal in Brescia’s 2-1 defeat at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
“I was not in the stadium, but I believe it is necessary to be very strict and inflexible,” Conte said. “We must punish these ignorant people. The morons must be punished. It is absurd that, in 2019, we are still faced with things like this.”
Conte has challenged his Inter side to play with “personality” in Tuesday’s mouth-watering Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Inter ran out 2-0 winners over the Bundesliga outfit a fortnight ago to leave both sides on four points in Group F, three points behind leaders Barcelona.
Conte believes Barca are assured of a place in the knockout stages and knows his side will have to stand strong in the face of a red-hot atmosphere at Signal Iduna Park to ensure they join them in the last 16.
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“It’s an important match as we are on equal points,” he told a media conference. “Barcelona have already guaranteed their place.
“We were good when we beat [Dortmund] at home and we know the difficulties we will face tomorrow. We face a strong and proven club, who have been in the Champions League for many years.
“The environment will be hot and electric; we know what motivation Dortmund fans can give to their players. It will be important for us to play with personality.
“We want to play offensively everywhere. If it is a defensive game, it will be only because Dortmund have forced us to do it. Our mentality is to always hurt the opponent. We always want to attack.”