Mario Balotelli Faces Racism At Euro 2012: UEFA Charges Croatia With Racial Abuse

WARSAW, Poland — UEFA made its first formal charges of racism at the European Championship on Saturday, opening a case against the Croatian soccer association after receiving reports that fans made monkey chants at Italy forward Mario Balotelli.

Croatia is charged with “improper conduct” of supporters, including “racist chants, racist symbols” at a game in Poznan on Thursday, the European soccer governing body said in a statement.

UEFA received reports from anti-discrimination monitors working with Football Against Racism in Europe, who wrote that Croatia fans made monkey noises and displayed far-right nationalist flags. Balotelli, who is black, started the game for Italy against Croatia, and was replaced in the second half of the 1-1 draw.

“It was fairly consistent throughout the game,” FARE executive director Piara Powar told The Associated Press. “It was at its most intense as he was substituted and left the field.”

The charge also relates to fireworks thrown on the field after Croatia scored, which delayed Italy’s kickoff to restart the game. UEFA said its disciplinary panel will judge the case against Croatia on Tuesday. The Croatia soccer association (HNS) said it condemned the incident and “distances itself from all deviant behavior on the part of the fans.”

Those responsible were “not supporters, but hooligans who should be isolated from all sports events,” the Croatian organization said in a statement, appealing to UEFA “not to punish the Croatian national team.”

UEFA rules make national associations responsible for their fans’ behavior. Punishments range from warnings and a sliding scale of fines to points deductions and even expulsion from Euro 2012.