ENIGMATIC MANCHESTER City and Italy forward Mario Balotelli has declared that he will “kill” someone if subjected to racial abuse at the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.
The host nations have come under scrutiny after a BBC Panorama programme highlighted the amount of racism and violence that takes place at games in those countries.
The 21-year-old Italian international revealed that he would react instinctively if he is racially abused at Euro 2012.
"If someone throws a banana at me in the street, I will go to prison because I will kill him," said the 21-year-old, who is of Ghanaian heritage.
"If [racism] does happen I would leave the pitch and go home.
"Racism is unacceptable to me, I cannot bear it. We are in 2012, it can't happen.”
The striker was previously racially taunted on June 2009 after having bananas thrown at him at a bar in Rome.
Recollecting about the incident, he said: “It was lucky that the police arrived quickly because, I swear, I would have beaten them. I would have really destroyed them. I hope it never happens again."