Mario Balotelli (R) angry over racist chants during the Italian Serie A match between Hellas Verona and his team Brescia at Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium in Verona, Italy, November 3, 2019.
Italian footballer Mario Balotelli thanked his fellow players and supporters for their support after he was racially abused by Hellas Verona fans on Sunday.
The shocking act of racism came close on the heels of a series of ugly incidents that have marred the early weeks of the new Serie A season.
The Brescia striker scored in a 2-1 Serie A defeat at Verona that left his hometown side in the relegation zone, but it was his fury at Verona's supporters, who have a long track record of far-right politics and open racism, that caused quite a sensation.
Despite initial denials of racist abuse from Verona, a recently-published fan video on Twitter showed a section of the crowd clearly making monkey chants to taunt Balotelli from the gallery before the Italy international kicked the ball at them in the stands.
The 29-year-old, who was born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents but was raised just outside Brescia, was subsequently held back by players from both teams and was stopped from leaving the field of play.
Mario Balotelli (R) is being calmed down by his Brescia teammates after racist chants are directed at him during the Serie A match against Hellas Verona in Verona, Italy, November 3, 2019. /VCG Photo
Later, posting a message on Instagram alongside a video of the incident, Balotelli wrote: "Thanks to all the colleagues on and off the field for the solidarity expressed toward me and all of the messages received from you fans."
"A heartfelt thanks. You're real men, not like those who deny the evidence."
Meanwhile, Verona coach Ivan Juric had earlier said that he heard "no racists chants, nothing at all" before adding that "to say otherwise is a lie." The Italian club's president Maurizio Setti then remarked that his club's supporters were "light-hearted, not racist."
A number of black players have been racially abused by supporters in the opening weeks of the ongoing Series A season. Milan midfielder Franck Kessie was targeted by Verona fans in September and Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku was abused at Cagliari.