Mario Balotelli Says Racists Will Never Change ‘Because They Are Just Stupid People’

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli believes that nothing can be done to change the ways of racist people because they are inherently stupid.

In an interview with America’s iconic Time Magazine the Italian international born to Ghanaian parents spoke frankly about the racist abuse he has suffered during his football career.

The 22-year-old was on the receiving end of racist chants while playing for Inter Milan in Italy and he believes the problem is far worse in his homeland than in England.

‘Racist people are few and you can do nothing against [to change] them,’ said Balotelli.

‘You can talk, you can do what you want, but you can’t do anything because they are just stupid people.

‘When I wasn’t famous, I had a lot of friends, almost all of them Italian,’ he says. ‘The racism only started when I started to play football.’

This is coming as Gavin Kirkham, 28, the Chelsea supporter who was spotted in the stands making a monkey gesture at Welbeck during Chelsea’s 5-4 win in the Capital One Cup clash at Stamford Bridge, told friend: ‘I had a couple of pints and got a bit leary but I’m not a bad lad.’ Adding, ‘I just got wrapped up in the match’ and that he was ‘totally ashamed’ of his actions during the match against Manchester United. ‘I’m not racist. I’m just one of the boys’ he concluded.

Photo: Happy Ending As Fabrice Muamba Weds Shauna Magunda

Here is the first picture of ‘miracle man’ Fabrice Muamba on his wedding day. Just seven months after he collapsed on the pitch when his heart stopped during a match, leaving him technically ‘dead’ for 78 minutes, the Bolton Wanderers footballer married Shauna Magunda in the most emotional ceremony of the year.

Fabrice, 24, and Shauna married in a ceremony in front of footballers including Robin Van Persie, Andy Cole, Jason Roberts and his ex Bolton teammates Stuart Holden and Martin Petrov.

The couple’s three-year-old son Joshua was pageboy.

Man Utd striker Van Persie, who attended with his wife Bouchra, said, “Today is particularly special because of what happened to Fabrice. The cardiac arrest had a big impact on everyone in football, and we all lived the moment as Fab recovered in hospital.

“Everyone is so relieved and happy for him and Shauna, and Bouchra and I are grateful to be part of this day.”

Also joining the congregation was one of the men who saved Fabrice’s life, Dr Sam Mohiddin from the London Chest Hospital.

He said: “Seven months ago this day was completely inconceivable.

“I just feel elated for Fabrice and Shauna, and so honoured to be here to celebrate with them. To see Fabrice today looking so happy and full of life is fantastic.”

Fabrice added: “This year has been a difficult one but, to me, marriage is the happy ending.”

Racial slur will mark Clattenburg’s end in officiating if found guilty – Winter

Jeff Winter; former Premier League referee on one of the thrilling events that encapsulated Sunday’s EPL clash between Chelsea and Manchester United in Stamford bridge which is the allegation of racial abuse brought against the officiating referee Mark Clattenburg by Mikel Obi and Juan Mata during the game.

An official complaint was lodged by the West London club over the alleged use of ‘inappropriate language’ by referee Clattenburg that was directed at two of their players, Mikel Obi and Juan Mata.

It was reported by a major British newspaper that Clattenburg has been accused of making a racial slur towards Mikel and called Mata a ‘Spanish t**t’.

If the allegations are true then Clattenburg is never going to get a game to officiate ever again and rightly so, but if it is true, where does it leave the game?

Officiating referee of the English Premier League?

It was reported that Mikel went to the referee’s dressing room to demand an apology following the match, with chief executive Ron Gourlay and manager Roberto Di Matteo.

According to the former EPL referee, Clattenburg’s position will be untenable if he’s found guilty of the offence, that “If a match official has used racial insults or language to a player then he’s for the high jump. He won’t be getting a four-match or an eight-match ban, it’ll probably be the end of his career, but that is if indeed he did say anything.”

“I feel it very unlikely that Mark Clattenburg would be allowed to referee until it’s dealt with so we certainly don’t want this going on for weeks and months.”

Talking racial abuse that has been lingering for a long while in the British football community for a while now with the recent case between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand which has generated so much uproar, this again will run and run with so much discord. he said

To go into investigations, television pictures will be scrutinised and reports suggest that a number of players heard the alleged comments, whilst the other officials Michael McDonough, Simon Long and Michael Jones could be crucial as they were all wearing microphones during the game.

Photos: Senegal Vs Ivory Coast Match Abandoned Over Fans Riot After Didier Drogba Double

An Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire was cancelled Saturday after home fans set fire and threw debris in the stadium.

Home fans started the riot when the match was 15 minutes from the end and visiting Cote d’Ivoire were 2-0 ahead, with second half goals by Didier Drogba which meant Senegal would be eliminated following their first-leg 4-2 loss unless a miracle happened in the last minutes.

The match was stopped after 76 minutes of play and then officially abandoned due to the crowd trouble 40 minutes later. Police had to use tear gas to disperse the crowd while Ivory Coast fans were allowed on to the pitch to protect them from the Senegal fans that were freely hurling tin cans and water bombs.                                                                                      

AFCON Qualifiers: Super Eagles Ease Past Lone Stars Of Liberia By 6-1 To Qualify To AFCON 2013

Nigerian football fans can heave a heavy sigh of relief now that we have qualified for Africa’s prestigious football tournament, the African Cup of Nations holding next year in South Africa.

The Super Eagles had played a two-all draw with the Lone Stars of Liberia in Monrovia and needed nothing short of an outright victory to book a spot in the AFCON after missing out on Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2011.

The match played at the U.J Esuene Township stadium in Calabar, Cross River state, saw goals from defender Efe Ambrose, winger Ahmed Musa, midefielder Mikel Obi, and strikers Ikechukwu Uche and Victor Moses who grabbed his first brace for Nigeria.

Jose Mourinho Said:Ronaldo ‘deserves award more than Messi’

It would be a crime if Cristiano Ronaldo lost out to Lionel Messi for the 2012 Ballon d’Or, his Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said on Friday.

Mourinho hit back at remarks by Barcelona coach’s Tito Vilanova last weekend that Messi, who has won the award for the past three years, was “the best (player) in the world by a long way”.

“When someone with the same responsibility as me comes out and says: ‘Mine is the best on the planet’ then I have to say: mine was not born in Madeira, he was born on Mars; he is not from planet Earth, he is the best in the universe,” Mourinho told Portuguese daily A Bola in an interview.

“If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe. It would be a crime if Ronaldo did not win the Ballon d’Or.”

Ronaldo won the award in 2008 and Mourinho said it was time to recognise him again.

“If you are going to give out the Ballon d’Or because a player is the best, give it to Cristiano or Messi. But I ask: if the two are on the same level, is it normal that one wins four and the other one? It is not.”

In Sunday’s 2-2 La Liga draw at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo became the first player to score in six consecutive ‘Clasicos’ with his ninth and 10th strikes on his 16th appearance against Barca.

Mourinho said a player needed to win big titles to deserve the Ballon d’Or.

“How can you win the Ballon d’Or without collecting titles, without winning anything important? Don’t come to me telling me about the Intercontinental Cup or the Supercup, this is small stuff. Tell me about fat titles,” Mourinho said.

The Portuguese coach said Ronaldo had had a tougher career than his Argentine rival.

“It is harder to be Cristiano than Messi. Messi grew up in the team where he plays, with the players with whom he plays. Not Cristiano. He was in England, then they put him here in a losing team. He had to grow over the last two years with this team which has been forming,” Mourinho said.

“One (Messi) plays as a (number) 9 and roams around in those 50 square metres where the distance to goal is smaller and defence less intense.”

“The other (Ronaldo) plays as a winger. How does a winger score as many goals as a number 9? Besides, Ronaldo is a player who is not protected by anyone.”

The Ballon d’Or, which merged with the World Player of the Year award in 2010, will be awarded on January 7 in Zurich.

“I will cut off my dreadlocks if Arsenal wins the English Premiership” – Victor Ikpeba

Ex Nigerian international, Victor Ikpeba, has said that he will cut off his dreadlocks if Arsenal Football Club wins the English Premiership in the 2012/2013 season. The retired footballer who is presently one of the soccer analysts on SuperSports TV made the statement shortly after the fixture between Manchester City and Arsenal on Sunday.

 Back in the day Victor Ikpeba was one of the few Nigerian internationals who had very brilliant careers in Europe. The footballer, however, is most remembered by Nigerians for his penalty kick against Cameroon in the 2000 Nations Cup final.

 The famous penalty kick had hit the crossbar, bounced off it, and landed behind the line, which makes it a goal. However, Tunisian Referee, Mourad Daami, had not given the goal. Ikpeba too had not helped the situation as he had put his hands on his head conceding the loss of the penalty. The decision by the referee had more or less cost Nigeria the cup.

 Meanwhile, the Gunners had indeed put up a good performance on Sunday to hold the English Premiership title holder to a 1-1 draw. As a retired footballer, it is expected that Ikpeba should know that it could be too early predict who would win the English Premiership. He might have been joking about it though, however it might be a good thing to see what the ex footballer looks like again without the dreads!