ROME (AP) — A frequent target of racist abuse and often surrounded in controversy, Mario Balotelli’s nomadic career has taken another radical turn.
The former Italy striker was reportedly fired by his hometown club for failing to report to training as the Italian soccer league prepares to resume from a three-month break amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Local media reported over the weekend that Brescia owner Massimo Cellino had his legal team deliver a dismissal letter to Balotelli to terminate the player’s multi-year contract “for just cause.”
“I thought as the captain of his home city’s team he would have done more,” Brescia coach Diego Lopez told the Gazzetta dello Sport.