Veteran Ghanaian sports journalist, Dan Kwaku Yeboah has disclosed that the mother of Italian footballer Mario Balotelli was denied assistance at a crucial moment, a situation he believes influenced the player’s nationality decision.
Although both of Balotelli’s biological parents are Ghanaians, the player was brought up by an Italian family after his parents placed him in a foster care due to financial constraint.
When his mother later attempted to regain custody, the case went to court in Italy, and she struggled financially to fight it.
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According to the Peace FM journalist, Balotelli’s mother contacted him and asked that he speak to the then sports minister to engage the Italian Embassy for support.
She reportedly promised that if the government helped her win the case, she would convince Balotelli to play for the Black Stars.
However, Kwaku Yeboah disclosed that the then deputy sports minister, Osei Bonsu Amoah, said the matter had nothing to do with the government, and therefore no effort was made to intervene.
“Initially, when the Balotelli case was sent to court, his mother called me and said, ‘You know what? I don’t have money, so I cannot fight the case in court. Speak to the sports minister and ask the Ghana Embassy to assist me, maybe I could get a pro bono arrangement for support. Once I win the case, I’ll let my son play for Ghana.’
“At that point, I personally went to the then deputy sports minister, OB Amoah, to inform him. He said no, the woman was requesting assistance from the embassy, and the ministry could not act. So I went back to the woman and told her I had spoken to the ministry about using the embassy there,” he said on Metro TV.
It is worth noting that Balotelli has previously stated that his decision to play for Italy was a personal one, as he grew up there and spent most of his life in the country.
Watch the interview below:
@kickandvibez #ghanatiktok🇬🇭 #balloteli #ghanablackstars #fyp #kingfergusonsports ♬ original sound – Kick & Vibe
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