Liverpool's Mario Balotelli accepts FA charge for Instagram post
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has accepted a Football Association charge for a post he made on Instagram, according to BBC.
The FA announced on Friday that it had charged Balotelli after saying earlier in the week that it was investigating the matter.
According to BBC, Balotelli wrote a letter in mitigation to the FA and has not requested a personal hearing. Liverpool is hoping that his letter will lead to the 24-year-old being fined rather than banned. If found guilty, Balotelli could be suspended for a minimum of five games.
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Balotelli posted a picture of the video game character Super Mario overlaid with text that said, "Don't be racist! Be like Mario. He's an Italian plumber, created by Japanese people, who speaks English and looks like a Mexican." The text on the bottom portion of the picture read "jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew."
Balotelli, whose nickname is Super Mario, deleted the post and apologized on Twitter. The FA said his post was "abusive and/or insulting and/or improper."
The striker is currently out with a groin injury and has missed Liverpool's last six games.
- Molly Geary
