Mario: Strip club visit a mistake

Mario Balotelli has described his strip club indiscretion as a ‘mistake’ and insisted he was not guilty of stamping on Scott Parker, despite serving a four-match ban from the FA.

The Manchester City striker claims he has matured and deserves the trust of coach Roberto Mancini, and his Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, who dropped him from the last national team squad following the controversial Parker clash in City’s 3-2 win over Tottenham in January.

The 21-year-old also claimed he is thinking about marrying his model girlfriend Raffaella Fico and is confident City can hold off Manchester United’s title challenge.

Balotelli, speaking out in a no-holds-barred interview with Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, only chose not to appeal the FA’s punishment because he did not want his ban to be extended. He said: “I didn’t deliberately kick Parker. In slow motion it seems like that, but it wasn’t that way. I didn’t even touch him. I don’t kick people on the ground.’’

He then explained why City chose not to appeal, and in so doing risked more controversy by criticising Howard Webb. “(We didn’t appeal) because the referee said he didn’t see it, instead he was a metre away from it and saw everything. If we had appealed I would have played the next game then they would have given me a five not a four-match ban. For this reason there was no appeal, not because Mancini doesn’t believe me.”

The upshot of the ban was that Balotelli missed out on a place in the last Italy friendly to be played before the squads for Euro 2012 are picked, because of Prandelli’s ‘code of conduct’ rule that says anyone banned or dismissed in domestic footballmisses out on international call-ups.

“That hurt me a lot,” Balotelli admitted. “I often say it in thedressing-room. Barcelona? Real Madrid? For me there isn’t a more fascinating shirt than that of my country. There is an ethical code. I accept it, even if I don’t believe that I deserved it. I didn’t do anything bad. I shouldn’t have to explain myself. But when I understood that I needed to make the first move to resolve any incomprehension I did so willingly: I sent him a text message. I didn’tmanage to speak to him for two days, he was always busy. I only got through to his assistant. In the message I explained the situation to him, I asked him to always tell me openly if he thought that I’d done something wrong. I guaranteed that I’m ok and that I’m training well. Apologise? No, I don’t have anything to apologise for. Mancini and Prandelli know: theintensity and commitment that I’ve put in this year, also in training, is not comparable to a year ago. I’ve grown. I’ve understood certain things.”

Balotelli’s latest misdemeanour saw him leaving a strip club in Liverpool at 2.45am on Friday morning, just 36 hours before City’s Premier League clash against Bolton. Mancini is set to fine the player for breaking curfew and suggested after the win, in which Balotelli scored, that he marry his model girlfriend.

“Well, if she were to have gone with some friends to a strip club, I would have been very pissed off. I didn’t do anything bad at the club. But if you love a woman, you have to restrain yourself. This was the first mistake. The second was to have gone there two days before a game.”

As for marriage, he added: “When you find the right person, it may be the time. Raffaella is the mostbeautiful thing that has happened to me. She gives me peace of mind and is understanding when I mess up. That doesn’t mean I betray her and she forgives me. We have sometimesspoken about marriage, but it doesn’t mean we’re getting married tomorrow.

Balotelli has scored 11 league goals this season and may need a few more if City are to hold off United, who are just two points behind and have a slightly easier run-in.

“We’re a great group, of quality. If we stay together as a group until the end, United will remain behind us and not scare us,” Balotelli added.