Liverpool will keep faith with Mario Balotelli despite his latest controversy…
Liverpool will keep faith with Mario Balotelli, despite the controversial Italian striker landing himself in hot water for his latest misdemeanour’s on social media – which have seen him charged by the FA.
Reports in the Daily Mirror claim that the Reds will stick by the forward until at least the end of the season, and remain hopeful that the player will turnaround his indifferent start to life at Anfield.
Balotelli has yet to score in the Premier League for Liverpool, and is currently sidelined by an injury sustained on international duty. He has found the net twice since his £16m switch from AC Milan, against Ludogorets in the Champions League, and Swansea in the League Cup.
The prospect of a ban by the FA has already led to speculation that Balotelli could be dismissed as a gamble gone wrong and allowed to leave in the new year, but the source understands he will stay for now.
The player does have behaviour clauses in his contract that gives the club powers on disciplinary issues, but these do not relate to social media, leaving Liverpool in something of a dilemma.
Balotelli faces a minimum three-game ban for using insulting words relating to race. But the striker is ready to fight after insisting his post about game character Super Mario was anti-racist, even though it included “jumps like a black man, grabs money like a Jew”.