Bizarre Balotelli Jewelery Incident Costs Nice in Champions League Playoff
Nice forward Mario Balotelli has been involved in a crazy incident that took place during the Champions League qualifying match against Napoli.
Nice were drawn against Napoli, one of the toughest opponents in qualifying, and after a 2-0 defeat in the first leg, they left a lot to do if they were to make it to the Champions League group stage.
Balotelli didn't figure in the first leg but did start the game for the second leg, giving Nice boss Lucien Favre a bit of hope in qualifying for the tournament. However, according to Sky Sports, after an uninterested first half, the performance of Balotelli in the tie left a lot to be desired from his manager and the fans.
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The Italian forward came out for the second half and began to argue with the game's officials over the jewellery he was wearing, leaving his team down to 10 men to cope with the attacking threats of the Napoli side.
During the argument between Balotelli and the officials on the sideline, Napoli scored the opening goal of the game and seemingly ended the tie with Nice needing 4 goals in the remaining 40 minutes.
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Favre was interviewed after the game and he was furious with Balotelli's antics on the pitch and didn't want to discuss his behavior or his performance.
Favre said: "Balotelli? I don't even want to comment on his performance vs Napoli."
Nice will now compete in the Europa League this season and could come up against the likes of Arsenal in the group stage - a side he's already been dismissed against during his time in England with Manchester City.
