When Italian soccer fans heaped racist abuse on Mario Balotelli and his white girlfriends...

FOOTBALL ace Mario Balotelli hopes his move to Manchester has shaken off the racists who wanted his white girlfriends dead.

The new Manchester City striker, who scored on his debut in midweek, suffered years of abuse from bigoted Italian fans over the colour of his skin during his time in Serie A.

And they also hammered Balotelli’s girlfriends – because they were white and he was black.

On one occasion vicious fans called for Greek beauty Betty Kourakou to suffer “Spartan law” – and be tossed off a cliff for dating the ace. More...

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