Balotelli to take hard line on racists

Soccer: Mario Balotelli intends to walk off the pitch if he is racially abused at Euro 2012 — and has claimed he would kill …

Soccer: Mario Balotelli intends to walk off the pitch if he is racially abused at Euro 2012 — and has claimed he would kill anyone who threw a banana at him in the street. The Manchester City and Italy striker was speaking after a BBC Panorama programme raised fears of potential racism at the tournament in Ukraine and Poland.

In an interview with France Football, Balotelli said: "If someone throws a banana at me in the street, I will go to prison because I will kill him. Racism is unacceptable to me, I cannot bear it.

“I hope there will not be a problem at the Euros because if it does happen I would straight away leave the pitch and go home. We are in 2012, it can’t happen.”

Balotelli also said he believes he is a genius and smarter than most people. “I think I am a genius, but not a rebel,” he said. “I have my life, my world, I do what I want, without annoying anyone. I believe I am more intelligent than the average person.

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“The talent God gave me is beautiful and wonderful, but it is difficult because you are always facing other people keen to judge you. There are few people with such talent, so there are few able to judge what I am doing.”