A group of local councillors in Verona have requested the city government take action against Brescia footballer Mario Balotelli after he accused the town's football fans of racism during a Serie A game on Sunday.
Balotelli kicked the ball into the crowd and threatened to walk off the pitch early in the second half of the game between Verona and Brescia because he said some fans were making monkey noises. The referee stopped play for around five minutes while announcements were made to the crowd.
The 29-year-old striker, who was born in Sicily to Ghanaian parents and given up for adoption when he was three, has faced racist abuse throughout his career in Italy. He was backed by Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti and by rival club Roma, among others, for his action on Sunday.
But the Verona club and the city's mayor Federico Sboarina, who said he was at the game, denied the racist insults took place.
On Tuesday, Gazzetta dello Sport published a motion sent to the Verona council by four councillors proposing that "the mayor and the legal offices of the municipality should take legal action against the footballer and all those who attack Verona by unjustly defaming it."
The motion added: "It is no longer fair that Verona is put in the dock when, as in this case, nothing happened."
Serie A's disciplinary tribunal was due to announce its decision in the case - the latest in a long line of alleged racist incidents to mar Italian football - later on Tuesday.
Italian authorities have long been criticised by anti-racism campaigners for not doing enough to tackle the problem and last month Cagliari escaped sanctions after Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku allegedly suffered racist abuse from their fans.
The insults against Lukaku were judged by the tribunal to be too limited in terms of "real perception" for it to take action.
Balotelli had earlier hit back at Verona fans after a man claiming to be the head of their ultras group dismissed the abuse as "clowning around".
"You're referring to social and historical situations that are bigger than you small-minded people. Here you are, going crazy, ignorant... You are the ruin," Balotelli said in response on Instagram.
"But when Mario was doing it, and I guarantee you he will still score for Italy, it was fine, wasn't it?"
