WARSAW: Italian daily spors paper Gazzetta dello Sport has
apologised for publishing a cartoon depicting Mario Balotelli as King
Kong. Some readers complained at the image, which showed the striker on
top of Big Ben, swatting away footballs after Italy’s Euro 2012 win over
England.
A statement from Gazzetta read: “We can honestly say it was not among
the best products of our talented cartoonist. The newspaper is for
those who read it and hence, if certain readers found the cartoon
offensive, we apologise.”
Gazzetta rejected accusations of
racism against the paper or its cartoonist Valerio Marini. The statement
continued: “At this time, a measure of prudence and good taste are
necessary because everything, absolutely everything, can be
misinterpreted. Those that accuse Gazzetta, and poor Marini, of racism are going overboard.
“This newspaper has fought any form of racism in every stadium and
has condemned the boos directed at Balotelli as an unacceptable form of
incivility.”
Manchester City striker Balotelli, of Ghanaian descent, was regularly
the target of racist abuse when playing in Italy. The cartoon prompted
an angry response from anti-discrimination group Kick It Out.
“Mario’s very presence in the Italian team is symbolic on so many
levels,” a spokesman said. “The Italian media ought to champion this
individual rather than singling him out as a scapegoat and somehow
inferior to his international team-mates.”
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