Sunday was not the best day in Mario Balotelli’s career. He missed his first penalty in competitive matches, and he received two yellow cards, the second of which came after the final whistle.
On Monday, Serie A handed him a three-game ban: one for his expulsion, and two for “intimidating and insulting remarks addressed to the referee,” which resulted in his second yellow card.
This is not Balotelli’s first suspension for the same offense. In April, he had a three-game suspension reduced to two games after insulting an assistant referee at the end of a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina.
In addition, AC Milan will be forced to play its next home game in a partially closed San Siro, after “insulting chants, expressing discrimination based on territorial origin” that were directed toward opposing fans before kickoff, as the teams walked onto the field and in the 64th minute of Napoli’s 2-1 win.
For its part, Napoli was fined €4,000 for delaying the start of the match by four minutes without just cause.
