Fed up with racist chants from the Hellas Verona crowd, Brescia Calcio striker Mario Balotelli threatened to leave Sunday’s Serie A match while the game was still in progress, although Verona officials later questioned whether anything improper had happened
In the 54th minute of his club’s 2-1 loss to Verona, Balotelli, 29, was battling for possession in the corner. After the ball rolled out of bounds, he picked it up and drop-kicked it into the sparse but vocal crowd. He then began to walk off the field.
After teammates and opponents alike consoled him, Balotelli decided to stay.