Richards plays down Balotelli spat

MANCHESTER CITY’S tearaway Mario Balotelli is back in the wars, this time fighting with his own teammate, defender Micah Richards.

Last night Richards tried to play down the training ground bust-up with controversial striker Balotelli, saying it showed “passion”.

But it adds to the pressure on City, who were beaten for the first time in the Premier League last Monday, and face Arsenal on Sunday.

Reports and photographs emerged of the pair’s clash during a training session.

Richards wrote on his Twitter account: “Me & mario are all good! these things happen in training & we shook hands after. it shows passion!”

The incident comes as the league leaders look to get back to winning ways after losing their unbeaten record at Chelsea on Monday.

It is also not the first of its kind to make the news at the club over the past year. City’s training ground at Carrington is flanked by a public footpath and photographers can therefore gain relatively straightforward access to the squad’s sessions.

Balotelli clashed with Jerome Boateng and Vincent Kompany last season while Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure were also pictured seemingly fighting.

This latest matter also brings Balotelli into the news once again for matters other than his performances on the field.

Most infamously, the fire service was called to the 21-year-old’s house in Cheshire in October after fireworks set off from inside the bathroom started a blaze.

The Italian was also in the headlines earlier this week after being spotted out in Manchester city centre in the early hours of Sunday morning — less than 48 hours before the game at Chelsea — but manager Roberto Mancini dismissed that as unimportant.

Despite these incidents, Balotelli has impressed on the pitch this term, scoring 11 goals.