Paolo Berlusconi, vice president of the Italian soccer club AC Milan and the younger brother of former Italy prime minister and team owner Silvio Berlusconi, used a racist slur to describe newly acquired star forward Mario Balotelli during public remarks.
Paolo Berlusconi described Balotelli, who is black, as “n——- di famiglia,” an Italian slur meaning “the family’s little n—–.”
The remark came at a political meeting in Monza , Italy, and was caught on film by local reporters.
The incident already has caused outrage in Italy, especially after Milan midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng won plaudits from Silvio Berlusconi for walking off the field after being racially abused during a friendly in early January.
Paolo Berlusconi was attending a rally for a candidate for his brother’s right-wing People of Freedom party when he made the comments.
He said: “OK, we are all off to see the family’s little n—–. He’s a crazy head. ”
Balotelli, who was born in Palermo, Sicily, to Ghanaian parents, was a starting forward for Italy in last year’s Euro Cup. The 22-year-old star joined AC Milan from Manchester City last week and scored twice on his debut against Udinese on Sunday.