Details of the story
Mario Balotelli is in trouble once again, this time after he bet and subsequently paid the owner of a local bar €2,000 to drive a moped into the sea. The incident took place in the Neapolitan coast town of Mergellina.
Balotelli filmed Catello Buonocore on his phone as he drove his scooter into the water. The footballer was laughing when he gave the bar owner his prize money, as onlookers cheered on. The footage was uploaded to Balotelli’s Instagram account.
When the bar owner came out of the water, he joked about how the moped was only worth a fraction of the sum he had just won. Police from Naples subsequently received a report about the incident.
Balotelli, the bar owner, and two others were reported for alleged “criminal solicitation and gambling”. They also have to face charges relating to abandoning hazardous waste, since the moped was not initially retrieved from the sea.
The vehicle has since been removed.
Who is Mario Balotelli?
Mario Balotelli has long been a controversial figure in the world of soccer. He is currently 28 years old and without a club after being released by Olympique Marseille when his contract expired this summer.
The football celebrity has won a number of different competitions during his time with different clubs, including three Serie As, an FA Cup, a Premier League title, and the UEFA Champions League. Balotelli plays on the edge, and his antics have led the likes of Jose Mourinho to comment that he is “unmanageable”.
Balotelli’s other transgressions
There is a long list of other incidents that Balotelli has gotten himself involved in. In October 2011, he burnt down his bathroom after launching fireworks from his bathroom window and accidentally setting fire to a bath towel. In March 2011, he was fined $100,000 after he threw darts at youth players as a prank.
The footballer has also been in numerous fights with his own teammates over the years.