Balotelli received a yellow card following objections to alleged racist chanting.GETTY IMAGES
Ligue 1 side Nice footballer Mario Balotelli's booking for "complaining about alleged racist chanting" during his club's defeat at Dijon on Saturday was described as "unacceptable and wrong" by anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out, according to the PA. Balotelli was seen gesturing to the crowd while talking to referee Nicolas Rainville during the second half of the match but the former Man City, Liverpool and Italy striker was "cautioned for his actions." Nice later tweeted a picture of Rainville booking Balotelli with a caption that said he was given the yellow card for "getting annoyed with racist insults from the public." Kick It Out said that it was "shocked" to see the 27-year-old striker receive a booking for trying to inform an official about chanting he believes was racist. In a statement, the organization said, "It is unacceptable and wrong to see that once again, a match official has failed to apply the Uefa protocol -- in place for a number of years -- which requires action to be taken to stop the game to deal with the offending abuse" (PA, 2/12).
