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Brescia owner slams Balotelli: 'The lad embarrasses me'

Pier Marco Tacca / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Brescia owner Massimo Cellino is far from impressed with Mario Balotelli's homecoming.

"The lad embarrasses me," Cellino told Italian station Radio Sportiva, as ESPN translated. "I'm hammered every day and am pilloried."

Cellino signed the former Inter Milan and Manchester City striker last summer, securing what appeared to be a dream move for Brescia-raised Balotelli. However, the outspoken businessman said in December he was willing to offload the player on a free transfer after a disappointing first few months in Lombardy.

And Balotelli's fortunes haven't improved since Cellino's criticism late last year, with the 29-year-old recording just five goals in 19 Serie A outings.

"That I brought him home overexposed him," Cellino added. "You only mention Balotelli for what he does off the pitch, not on it, and that is embarrassing."

Balotelli earned a bad-boy reputation early in his career, but he could be forgiven for feeling dismayed due to a lack of support at Brescia. Cellino egregiously defended then-manager Fabio Grosso's decision to drop Balotelli in November by declaring, "he's black and he's working to whiten himself but he has great difficulties in this."

Balotelli has been subjected to racism on numerous occasions since returning to Italy last summer. One incident saw Hellas Verona fans target the forward with vile abuse, and Brescia supporters subsequently backed their actions while accusing the Italian media of a "witch hunt" against ultra culture and saying Balotelli displays "unjustifiable" arrogance.

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