Share

Balotelli's agent slams ref

Rome -The agent of volatile Italian striker Mario Balotelli on Tuesday accused England's leading referee Howard Webb of lying over the alleged headstamping by his player on Luke Parker in Sunday's Premier League game between Manchester City and Spurs.

Webb - who refereed the 2010 World Cup final - took no action over Balotelli's apparent deliberate headstamping of Parker but subsequently said that if he had seen the incident he would have sent the City player off.

However Mino Raiola, Ballotelli's agent, took issue with Webb's claim.

"I am very angry with the referee, because he lied," Raiola told Italian station Radio Radio.

"The TV images clearly show that the referee is no more than a metre away and that he is looking towards the incident, how can he say that he did not see what he was looking at?"

Regardless of Webb's intervention after the match Balotelli is staring at a four game suspension after being charged with violent conduct by the Football Association (FA) on Monday.

He will begin it on Wednesday - thereby missing the League Cup second leg semi-final tie with Liverpool and three Premier League games - should he not appeal the charge.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
loading... Live
Dolphins 0
Warriors RSA 161/4
loading... Live
Pakistan 151/7
New Zealand 178/7
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
64% - 426 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
36% - 236 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE