Friday, April 23, 2010

Balotelli agent rejects transfer request claims


Mario Balotelli's agent has rejected claims the striker has requested to leave Inter Milan.

Gazzetta dello Sport reported this week that agent Mino Raiola had met with the club to announce that Balotelli wanted to leave the club following the events against Barcelona on Tuesday night.

"That is not true," Raiola told RAI Sport. "I have nothing to deny when it comes to something so obviously false. I have not even met with president Massimo Moratti this week."

Raiola, who said he would "defend the rights of my players at any moment and in any venue", had earlier suggested that it was the Inter fans who were at fault.

"Clearly he can't have been happy with those jeers," he told Telelombardia. "Will he apologise? I don't know. Maybe the fans ought to apologise to him."

It has also been reported that the player could seek legal action over the alleged 'bullying' Balotelli received from his team-mates. Raiola has played down those suggestions, although he warned that it was an option.

"I never said Balotelli was the victim of bullying, nor did I talk about taking legal action," he said. "I find it interesting that we're talking about bullying, because Goran Pandev arrived at Inter due to legal action he took against Lazio over bullying, so if you want to add one and one to make two, you can do that with Balotelli..."

Pandev joined Inter on a free transfer in January having been released from his Lazio contract. He had been frozen out of the squad after indicating his wish to leave the previous summer.

Meanwhile, former Juventus director Luciano Moggi has said he does not believe Balotelli will play another home game for Inter.

"Inter have not been able to learn how to manage the player, especially Jose Mourinho," he said on Football Italia. "You cannot bring the player on in the semi-finals of the Champions League, and then, after five minutes, start telling him off.

"These are the kind of things that will incite the crowd, which will see them whistle and jeer him. Balotelli just crumbled. If I was in charge of the player, none of this would have occurred. After what has happened, I don't see the player playing at the Meazza.

"Balotelli needs to learn to learn to be humble. He needs to learn that talent alone will not turn you into a champion. He needs to learn to behave himself."

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