ROME (Reuters) - Brescia's 29-year-old Mario Balotelli has threatened to retire from football and kick the ball into the stands during Sunday's home game at Verona after racist slogans targeted him.
Brescia lost 2-1 to Verona on Sunday in the 11th round of Serie A.
The player, who returned to the league after spending spells in big clubs in Italy, England and France, was calm by teammates and Verona players, while the game was halted for four minutes at the start of the second half.
Speakers at the stadium warned fans that the match would be canceled under Serie A racism rules if the abuse continued.
"Super Mario", born of a father and mother from Ghana, responded to Verona's fans with a "universal" goal five minutes before the end of the game.
Verona coach Ivan Joric said nothing had happened against Balotelli, except for some hostile chants with no racial meaning.