'He's black' - Brescia FC president Massimo Cellino makes racist remark about Mario Balotelli (photos)

The 29-year-old striker has struggled since returning to the Italian league with Brescia, his hometown club, and is reported to have had explosive rows with coach Fabio Grosso.

Asked about Balotelli's troubles on Monday, Brescia president Massimo Cellino said: "He's black, what can I say, he's working on clearing himself but he's having a lot of difficulty."

The comment marks the latest discriminatory incident of a Serie A season that has been tainted with racist chants directed at players and other offensive behaviour.

Mr Cellino's comment was later downplayed by the club, which released a statement calling it a "paradoxical joke".
Brescia added that the comment was "clearly misunderstood" and "released in an attempt to defuse excessive media exposure and with intent to protect the player himself".