Following Manchester United's shocking defeat against recently promoted Leicester City, Italian striker Mario Balotelli started a riot after mocking the Red Devils with a tweet:
Man utd ... LOL
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) September 21, 2014
Balotelli's tweet generated several reactions, some praising his "sense of humor", and several more with racist remarks. The latter sparked a possible investigation by Liverpool officers, being quoted on the matter:
"We can confirm officers are looking into offensive comments made on Twitter about Mario Balotelli. We have been made aware of it by a number of press inquiries," the local Merseyside police confirmed.
Several tweet being deemed as racists were subsequently erased from the Twitter accounts they came from, and according to several anti-racism organizations, those who insult anyone via social media can be prosecuted:
"We extend our support to Mario Balotelli after the appalling racist abuse directed at him on Twitter. The issue has been escalating and we urge fellow social media users to assist in bringing this type of abuse to the attention of the authorities by reporting directly to True Vision (the police's online reporting facility)," British anti-racism group Kick It Out stated.
Balotelli has been bullied for his antics on and off the pitch, stating back in 2013 that he would leave any pitch in which he was racially abused. He recently moved back to England, having played for Manchester City earlier in his career.
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